


Liberation of the Elephants, or How England Learnt to Love the Machine

by lysanatt



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU/AR, Airships, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-02
Updated: 2011-10-02
Packaged: 2018-01-11 04:34:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lysanatt/pseuds/lysanatt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the brink of war with the usurper Archduchess Bellatrix of Azkaban, England plans the defence against its neighbouring country. A small squadron of brave captains and their sentient airships are the weak bulwark against the potential enemy in the north. But as escapees from the Azkaban revolution arrive, Admiral Severus Snape finds his band of brothers strengthened when the most unlikely reinforcement shows up: a refugee who turns out to be none other than the former Azkaban Rear Admiral Remus Lupin, a famous werewolf.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Liberation of the Elephants, or How England Learnt to Love the Machine

**Author's Note:**

> Since I'm going magical steampunk AU/AR, expect no historical chronology or correctness, or even an England as we know it - which by no means mean that proper research for this piece was ignored. Furthermore nod to Dickens, Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, Patrick Henry, Mary, Queen of Scots, Friedrich Engels and, last but not least, Lord Blackadder for the quotes.

_At the violet hour, the evening hour, when the eyes and back_  
 _Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits_  
 _Like a taxi throbbing waiting._  
~T.S. Eliot

****

**Liberation of the Elephants, or How England Learnt to Love the Machine**

**I.**

'I'll never learn!' Frustrated, Oliver Wood threw his battered leather helmet on the table, causing Flint's teacup to spill its content on the starched table cloth.

'Oi!' Flint saved the cup and attempted to limit the damage by mopping up the tea with his napkin. ''s not my fault that your ship is a big heap of useless junk, issit?' Flint growled, fighting to swallow a half-eaten cucumber sandwich as he sent his colleague an angry glare. 'What did it do this time?'

'Not it. It's a she'. Oliver pulled out a chair and sat down, grabbing a cup and the teapot that one of the other officers pushed his way.

'So why haven't you named _her_ yet?' Flint teased. He held up a hand. 'Hold on! I know! She's not obeying anyway, so you've given up finding a name?'

Oliver's silence said it all. Four pairs of eyes regarded him with pity.

'That's what comes from getting them too late. She's untameable, that one is.' Captain Weasley attempted to protect Captain Wood's pride.

'Yeah, yeah. Because my _Trollhammer_ was the epitome of tame when we found him in Norway,' Flint argued. 'And it didn't make it better that he'd actually fed on an entire troll clan. Perhaps you are not the officer you think yourself to be?' he said tauntingly. 'One would expect-'

'Flint, shut up. You're annoying.' Captain Krum pointed a finger at the tall commander, looming threateningly over the table.

'That's _Captain_ Flint, arsehole.'

'Fine. Captain Flint-Arsehole, then. And shut up—you're still annoying. Don't remember hearing you volunteering when our benevolent admiral offered the ship up to a capable captain, by the way. Not really in Wood's league, are you? Perhaps that's why you're still a lieutenant and not a rear admiral?' Captain Krum leant back in his chair, one eyebrow raised, a gleeful smile on his narrow lips. 'And before you accuse me of being a coward for not taking the ship,' he continued, 'you know very well that my _Pride of Bulgaria_ will fly only for me.'

'Good Lord, you're hopeless all.' Captain Bell shook her head. 'What do you say, Johnson? Should we try and compare pricks, too, or should we just do what we're here to do: keep England's airship fleet afloat?'

'I think my prick is bigger than Flint's,' Johnson laughed. 'But I'm not the one with an airship out of control, so do I care? I don't have anything to prove.' She shrugged and pulled her teacup closer, as if she was nervous that the men were about to turn the table over.

Behind them the heavy door to the mess opened, then slammed shut, interrupting their bantering. Their banter instantly stopped. Oliver turned to look at the newcomer, heaving a deep sigh. 'Oh, oh. Someone is in trouble, and I believe it might be me.' For a moment the tall captain looked insecure, slouching before he regained his posture.

A slender man with round glasses and a decidedly arrogant look approached their table. 'I see that you all are deeply concerned that we are on the brink of war,' he said, his face contracting into a grimace of disgust. 'How good to know that our country's destiny is in the hands of men and women who take their calling seriously. If it is not too much to ask, as I realise that I am disturbing you at a crucial moment in your lives, our admiral would like to speak with Captain Wood. _After_ he has reined in his damned aerostat. The admiral's words, not mine. The ship is currently hovering over the tower and the crew is worried. It is obstructing traffic and causing them headaches.'

Someone murmured something about red hair and tempers, which only earned the group at the table yet another angry glare from the steward. 'Admiral Snape said, now. Not in an hour. Not tomorrow. Your airship, now, Captain Wood. And you may see the admiral at four. After his afternoon nap. _Sir_.'

'Yes, God forbid, Weasley, that one should wake up the dragon before it had a proper rest. I assume that afternoon naps also are a part of "taking one's calling seriously"? Or am I wrong?' Oliver snorted, reached for his tea-soaked helmet and stood. 'I'll be there.' He turned to look at the other officers. 'I assume you can find me in the doghouse in an hour or two. Woof!' He winked at Flint.

'Until you have sacrificed _your_ health in the service of our good king Edward, I suggest you adopt a slightly more humble attitude, _sir_ ,' Percy Weasley said, obviously regarding the small honorific as some form of derogatory addition to any name, judging from the tone of it. 'But seeing how that ship of yours behaves, I doubt it will take long.' He turned on his heel and marched out, leaving the young officers rather speechless for a while.

**II.**

Betrayal had a bitter taste, one that sweets and cakes and the thirty year old port could not hide. The bride was lovely, oh yes; Bellatrix Black bore her crown with dignity, the white veil enhancing her dark beauty. But Severus barely noticed her; it was the man at her side that Severus' eyes rested upon. It wasn't a particularly kind gaze: if eyes could kill, His Royal Highness the Archduke of Azkaban would be dead by now, and the new Archduchess a widow.

'Are you not hungry, Severus?' Countess Malfoy's slender hand rested on Severus' for an instant. 'You should eat. Starving yourself does not change Rodolphus'...' Narcissa Malfoy seemed flustered for a moment, but reached for her glass. The crystal shone brightly in the light from thousands of candles.

Somewhere up on one of the balconies, an orchestra began yet another celebratory piece. Beethoven, possibly. Severus ignored it. He looked at her searchingly. 'Does everybody know?' He had been careful, always careful. They both had been. Nevertheless, rumours had circulated for years, Severus knew that. But he was certain they had never been confirmed.

'Know? That you are a _Uranist_ ? No.' Narcissa's pale visage was merely a surface contradicting the steel she was made of. 'Lucius saw you. You and... His Royal Highness. Rodolphus. In a quite compromising situation. We thought it was better to leave it alone. It is your life, Severus. We never spoke to anyone about it.'

'I see.' Fate obviously had decided to ruin Severus' life in a sarcastic and cruel way. Exposed only when there was nothing left to expose. Severus was not surprised that Lucius and Narcissa hadn't said anything. Lucius had, it seemed, had his own flings with men, and knowing Narcissa, her mind was probably a chest of compromising information, stored away until it could be of use for the benefit of the Malfoys. Severus liked to think, though, that he mattered to the Malfoys, just a little. Lucius and he had been friends since childhood after all.

'It doesn't matter. Men are allowed their little follies,' Narcissa said, taking yet another sip of her wine. 'Follies which must stop when they marry.'

'Yes, that is what they say,' Severus replied, his anger boiling, almost impossible to rein in. 'Duty comes before love.' Beneath the table, Severus pressed his nails so deep into his palms that the little half-moon marks filled with drops of blood. He could not break now. Under no circumstances. 'I understand as much,' he managed, understanding nothing at all. Lucius had done it, Rodolphus too, kept men as entertainment. On the bottom line, there was but marriage and family.

'She is my sister, Severus. Duty to the family before anything. And you know Archduke Rodolphus—he is the same. He wouldn't... couldn't... The throne would go to Prince Rabastan, and-' Narcissa made a sound—not very lady-like—which sounded like a mix between a snort and a giggle. 'Couldn't you have taken Rabastan instead?' she asked, dabbing her mouth with her napkin, as if to erase the undignified outburst. 'Even Archduke Rodolphus suspects that the prince is-'

'A Uranist.' It was strange how easily the word tumbled over Severus' thin lips. As if it was a relief to finally set words to the feelings, the life he had led, the secret he had kept for so many years. The life was no longer his, however, but something that had been taken away from him, ripped from him brutally, without notice, without any care to ease the pain of the break. _I am marrying Countess Bellatrix four months from now_ , Rodolphus had said and offered Severus that he could still take him to bed until the day of the wedding. _It stops on my wedding day_ , Rodolphus had informed him coldly, as if what they'd had was merely a business transaction. Numb from the blow, Severus had declined. Of course he had declined! It had taken weeks before he had found the pain of rejection, or rather, before the pain found him. It came in the envelope with the cream-coloured card, the invitation to the wedding between Archduke Rodolphus of Azkaban and Countess Bellatrix Black.

'Yes, I suppose that is what you call it,' Narcissa said, pulling Severus out of his thoughts. 'Not that I understand you, Severus. But... Can't you just do what Rodolphus has done, marry? There are so many lovely young noblewomen in Azkaban. Or you could perhaps take a French girl. The Delacours are known to be great beau-'

'Thanks,' Severus interrupted. 'I presume you do not wish to hear any detailed explanations, but no matter how lovely the Delacour contessas are, they particularly lack in one department. And men do not.' Severus looked away. He really did not want to discuss this. He was never attracted to women, despite their apparent beauty. And, anyway, none of them were Rodolphus.

'Oh.' Countess Narcissa clearly had a vivid imagination. 'I see.' There was a slight rose blush in her cheeks as Severus looked up, looking at her searchingly.

'Do you, now?' Severus' temper was flaring again. Anger, sadness, bitterness, loss, rage... they all mingled into an nauseous feeling that almost threatened to strangle Severus, rendering him unable to breathe. 'I doubt it.' No, there was no way Countess Narcissa would understand: she had never had to hide, never had to pretend and play those little games of normality. She never had to have her love measured out in small doses of time. An hour here, hidden in a hotel. A day there, a house borrowed from friends. A week in Paris, incognito. A lifetime of love split up, compartmentalised; a straitjacket made of feelings that could have made him—no, both of them—happy. Severus raised his eyes to look at his former lover. Rodolphus looked happy indeed, and it was hurtful, as if the happiness belied what they had together.

Severus felt nauseous at the mere sight of so much happiness; happiness that wasn't his. He looked away, down. The silver plate in front of him was still full. He had no appetite. The meat was bloody; it could just as well be Severus' heart, ripped out and cooked, which lay there, ready for consumption. 'I feel sick,' he said, for once not caring about court etiquette.

'It is not worth it,' Narcissa said. 'Even if you cannot be satisfied with a... with a woman. _He_ ,' she raised her eyes and looked at Archduke Rodolphus, her look not entirely friendly, 'is not worthy of you.' Again, she put her hand on his. This time it stayed. 'There are other men, Severus. Men who feel like you do. Men who will cherish you. Rodolphus... he is not even serious when it comes to Bella. He has no idea what he wants. He is entangled in duty and country, and perhaps it is how it should be.'

'I want no one else.' Severus felt stupid and stubborn. He would not get Rodolphus back, no matter what he did. He wasn't even sure he wanted him any longer.

'Maybe a few months in Italy? To forget him?' Narcissa's eyes were soft now, as if she understood.

In the midst of this spectacle, Severus suddenly knew exactly what to do. He knew he could not forget Rodolphus. On the other hand, he had his pride. He would not be Rodolphus' lapdog, angling for the smallest sign of affection. No, there were more drastic measures to be taken, and he had to take them now. Before he changed his mind.

'It was a pleasure to know you. And Lucius,' he told Narcissa Malfoy; the pain of losing beloved friends was evident in his half-choked words. 'Tell Draco I will miss him very much and that his Uncle Severus regrets that he might miss his coming-of-age feast next year.' Severus stood, kissed Narcissa's hand and left Azkaban's great hall without as much as a polite nod to the man who had been his ruler and lover for a decade. This Archduke Rodolphus, the one married to Bellatrix Black, was not the lover Severus once knew; no one Severus loved. Rodolphus no longer had any power over him, and was hence not worthy of his respect.

It took Severus less than an hour to collect his most cherished belongings. He was on a ship set for Azkaban's neighbouring country, England, before the wedding feast was over.

**III.**

Severus woke, sweating and with his heart beating wildly. He had had that dream again, about the wedding from hell. Even after more than ten years, the event still came back to haunt him. He pulled out his handkerchief, dabbing his sweaty brow. God, how he hated those nightmares. They reminded him of what he had lost—if one could lose what one apparently never had—and of the fact that he was still caught in the past. There was little that ruined one's self-esteem as having to watch one's lover marry. Despite his rise to fame and rank in the Royal Navy's Airfleet, there werer times when he still reversed to being the insignificant Azkabanese scientist, that expendable, ugly man that had left his father's country so many years ago.

'Perhaps if I actually found someone new,' he murmured as he stretched in his desk chair. Appalling habit, falling asleep with one's head buried in important documents. Severus snorted and dried a drop of drool off a letter from Edward. The king was as usual worried about the aerostats, why would the king be different from everybody else? Severus wasn't bothered, neither with the king, nor with the ships. The Navy could dismiss him for all he cared, and that would leave them in an even bigger mess. It had been close a few times. Then again, they probably knew they'd lose the airships. _Hate the factory, love the machine_ , Engels had once said, and that what was Severus did. That was what they did wrong, those who were afraid of the aerostats: they hated the machine, but loved the factory—the Navy—that kept them. Severus took the opposite position: he loved the machine, but hated the factory. Being the eternal misfit had caused him trouble as he worked his way up the grades. Of course the Admiralty had complained: Severus had told them they could just let him go and see if they could find someone more capable of leading the airship fleet, or perhaps someone who was better at communicating with the airships. That worked. There were few as talented and as well-educated in physics and chemistry as Severus, and no one who could read to the minds of the ships the way Severus could. The First Sea Lord, Admiral Shacklebolt, knew that. Shacklebolt made it clear that he was not always impressed with his admiral, but the complaints about Severus' nontraditional methods had soon ceased.

Turning in his chair, Severus looked out the window. Out there, on the field, they hovered, like colossal elephants grazing on the sky. Shining in the setting sun, grey silver against the violet sky they hung; gigantic tubes, like clouds themselves, lazily resting on the slight upwind. Wood's ship was doing odd attacks on one of the flagpoles. Severus sighed deeply at the sight of the unruly ship. They needed the airships if war was coming, and unless something serious was done to prevent it, war would come. Archduke Rodolphus was not a peaceful man, that Severus knew, but he was sensible. But that woman... that was another and more serious problem. Archduchess Bellatrix was, according to the spies that reported from Azkaban, better off in a lunatic asylum than seated on the throne of Azkaban. If Bellatrix was as powerful as the spies seemed to believe, war was indeed coming, and with that, the need for more ships along with it. Wood had to rein in his vessel, or Severus would have to reassign the post. He didn't want to do that. He liked Wood, and the young captain was one of their best men. Wood was easy on the eye, too, with his golden-brown hair and the blue eyes, but that had little to do with it: Admiral Snape's men were the best the Navy, Army and Flying Corps could deliver, and that was what counted. Admiral Severus Snape did not suffer talentless fools. Even fools with slender hips and pretty smiles, like Wood.

Pulling himself out of the musings of a war that was still hypothetical, Severus straightened up, tied his cravat and readied himself for the evening's work. 'Percy?' he called, knowing that his steward would be somewhere close. 'Tea, please,' he ordered as Percy hurried to obey. 'Is there pie?'

'Captain Wood is outside. And you will eat a decent dinner when he leaves.' Percy sent Severus a strict look. 'You've lost weight again. Sir.'

'What are you? My bloody mother?' As stewards went, Weasley was annoying, dominant, rigid and far too interested in rules and regulations. But he was also the reason that Severus' declining health wasn't killing him, and, more importantly, Weasley was the much needed buffer between an obscene amount of irritating idiots who wanted Severus' attention on all sorts of even more irritating times.

'I doubt it, sir. Your mother died twenty years ago. If you need reminding.'

'Not particularly. And get me something to eat right away. Something for Wood, too. He's got the appetite of a lion. Send him in, Weasley, if I am allowed to command my own office, at least?'

'Anytime, sir.' Percy said it as if he did not care that he was taking liberties. He probably didn't. 'Good that the Prime Minister hasn't yet discovered you and your talents,' Snape said with half a smile. 'Or we'd have you running England, the way you go on.'

'And in a rather more competent way,' Percy retorted arrogantly. 'Sir.'

'I don't know why I tolerate your cheekiness,' Severus laughed. 'I suppose you are useful in some way or another since I keep you.' Yes, Percy was useful, and Severus did not care about his attitude. Other officers would, and that would put an end to a promising career faster than one could say _Queen Victoria's nipples_. But Percy managed to keep Severus working, in relatively decent health, and not least: in a civilised mood. 'Send Wood in.'

Severus watched in silence as the young captain entered, looking quite nervous. Oliver Wood usually did not lack confidence, so things were probably getting out of hand with the new ship. It was always a risk, bringing in the older ones. Severus did not care about Oliver's hurt sensibilities, and he asked Wood bluntly, 'should we put her down?'. He regarded Wood coldly, looking for the truth he knew he would see in Wood's eyes, no matter what his words would be. 'Are you able to manage her?' Severus pointed at the chair on the other side of his desk. 'Sit.'

'Thank you, sir. I-' Wood's lips made a tense line on his pale face.

'I see.'

'She is responding, but not consistently. I haven't found the right way yet.'

'Captain Wood, your ship is currently leeching on the tower crew. They have let me know that they would prefer to keep their words and thoughts to themselves—they cannot work with your ship disturbing them all the time. Not to speak of the fact that take off and landings are disrupted too. This cannot go on. How do you expect us to trust her in battle?'

Wood looked even more uncomfortable. 'Sir, it's embarrassing-'

'I agree. Not your usual fare.' Wood had been chosen for the new ship because he was the best man they had. He had brought in two of their other ships, calmly taught them to be a part of the fleet, and they were reliable as clockworks. Johnson and Bell had taken over those ships easily as they entered the Navy. Wood had done a good job.

'The damned thing prefers bloody tower commands to ... to everything I've read to her. She ignores my attempts to contact her. My emotions! I don't know what's wrong with her!'

'Except that we're trying to accomplish what has only been done once before: trying to break in a feral ship which is driven by her pure instincts?' Severus felt slightly sorry for Wood. The project was on a downward course, even before it begun. 'I think the main reason why we managed with Trollhammer is that he took to Captain Flint right away.' Severus smirked. 'He's a bit of a troll himself. And Trollhammer responds well to _Eymundar þáttr Hrings_.'

Wood tried to hide his smile in vain. There had always been a bit of competition between Wood and Flint, which was a contributing factor to why Severus had chosen Wood for the new ship. 'If you say so, sir.' The smile broadened. 'Do you suggest I read the sagas for the ship?' Wood shrugged. 'I suppose that no possibility should be ruled out. I've tried Dante, Milton, Chaucer, Marlowe... even Keats's poetry, and Yeats. None of it works.'

'And yet she feeds on the tower commands... at least it sustains her as she is still above ground.' Severus pursed his lips. 'Not easy, no.'

'Atavistic,' Wood said. 'Perhaps she needs something else. But I am at a loss to what.' He pulled his lower lip, distractedly, as if he was thinking.

'If the commands attract her, try something in that direction? It is that we keep her up and running, and preferably in a controllable manner, Captain. War is coming, our charming neighbour to the north is not going to sit idle much longer.'

'They say that Archduchess Bellatrix has gone insane,' Wood said, seemingly glad to change the subject. 'The Archduke is a weak man. They say that the Archduchess is the true power in Azkaban.'

'I hear that it is so,' Severus said, attempting to keep a stiff upper lip. He could not afford to show any emotions, not even now. It shocked him to a degree that it still hurt, Rodolphus' rejection. 'He is no longer the true ruler of Azkaban.' Severus laughed, a bitter laughter. He still wasn't able to forgive. Rodolphus was weak, he always were; power was an allure which the handsome man had never been able to refuse. Unfortunately he had met his match in Bellatrix Black. 'So they say.' Attempting to change the subject, Severus returned to the former topic. 'Do me a favour and find out what makes that ship cooperate, Captain. If war comes, I have use for it.'

'Yes, sir! If I may...' Wood looked searchingly at Severus. 'It has nothing to do with the ships.'

Severus nodded. 'Yes?'

'I'm sorry to ask; it is not really my business, but...' Captain Wood hesitated for a moment before he continued. 'You are an Azkabanese yourself, Admiral Snape. They say you were at the Archduke's court, too? That you were very close to him?'

'They say, they say,' Severus retorted grumpily. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Wood was obviously intent on giving him a headache with all his annoying questions. On top of that, the captain was surprisingly frank. Not what one expected from one's underlings. Then again, if—when—war was coming, the question was not entirely unfounded: Severus' heritage might raise doubts about his true allegiance in those who knew no better: Severus knew he was trusted by the king and the admiralty and for that matter by the War Office. 'Half,' he finally replied, deciding that his men probably had the right to ask. 'My mother was English; as am I.' He breathed out, looking down at a fountain pen that had leaked a bit of ink on one of the many documents on the desk. He screwed on the hood and put the pen down. 'I was a close friend of the Archduke for twenty years,' Severus said, hoping he would not be misunderstood. Or perhaps he hoped he would. 'It ended on the day of their wedding. I left Azkaban that night and I have never returned, nor will I.'

Captain Wood sat in silence as the seconds wasted away. The only sound was the clock on the wall, a deep, slow tick-tock. 'I see,' he finally said, pausing, as if he wanted to say something more. 'As for my ship,' he said, another odd change of subject, 'do you think that Oscar Wilde might do? Or Walt Whitman? Lord Byron? ' Oliver Wood looked entirely innocent as the names of confirmed Uranists tumbled out, revealing more about the captain than Severus cared to know. 'Plato?' Captain Wood insisted. 'Or _The Iliad?_

'Ah.' Severus was for once at a loss for words. Captain Wood had most certainly understood, perceptive as one would only be if one shared the secret and the secrecy of being a man loving men. Speaking in codes that were caught only by men who shared the inclination became an art form. 'I- You're-'

Before Captain Wood managed to answer, Weasley entered, without as much as knocking. 'Sir? Sir?'

A highly unusual behaviour. Severus knew immediately that something was very wrong. 'What is it, Percy?'

'Azkaban!'

'We're at war?'

'No, good Lord, no. Telegram from the Admiralty.' Percy handed Severus a piece of paper. His hands shook. 'It's Bellatrix Black! She's taken over the throne. Arch- well, he's no longer the Archduke. Bellatrix Black has usurped the throne of Azkaban Island and her cousins Count Sirius and his brother Baron Regulus have fled to England!' Percy looked shocked at this, what might seem to the strict young man as an appalling breach of etiquette. 'She threatened to execute them both if they refused to support her!' Percy was more excited than Severus had ever seen the man. His cheeks blushed and his otherwise so neat hair was messy. 'Rodolphus is confined to his rooms, and Prince Rabastan—I assume he didn't wish to support the Black woman—has been thrown into the Azkaban dungeons.'

'The dungeons?' Inadvertently he closed his fingers around the telegram in his hand, crumpling it. It ended up as a sweaty ball inside his fist. The dungeons... Severus could still recall Rabastan's elegance and beauty. It would wither rapidly in those dark, dank rooms. No light, no heating, nothing but mould and darkness and the indeterminable presence of something old and evil. The oubliette was even more feared. Dozens of Azkaban's enemies had died there, from hunger and thirst, from cold, or from the wounds they took when they were cast into the deep stone pit, dug deep in the rocks outside the Archduke's castle. 'And the Malfoys?'

Percy pointed to Severus' hand. 'In the telegram, sir.' At Severus' raised eyebrow, Percy hurried to continue: 'Count Lucius is doing what he does best: pretending, but his son... Draco is in the dungeons as well. Keeps the Malfoys in line, I assume.'

'Hell!' Severus took at deep breath, trying to keep calm. He tried to tell himself that he did not care about Rodolphus, but the younger brother, Rabastan, and Draco... Draco had been a child the last time he saw him, and he was the son of people who'd once been Severus' friends. But the worst of it was to have that lunatic as the leader of another country, a country, mind, with which England was not precisely on good terms. 'That is as close to a declaration of war...'

'Yes.' Percy clearly saw no need to lessen the blow. Severus appreciated that no-nonsense trait in his steward. 'There's a meeting... the Admiralty. The First Sea Lord and the First Lord of the Admiralty are on their way to Hull. I'll send for your automobile, sir.' Percy held up a hand, as if to stop any outbursts from his superior. 'And... there is more. The Prime Minister is receiving Sirius Black and his brother in London, making certain they are treated according to their rank. The Prime Minister is sending one of Sirius Black's friends here, one who fled with them. I assume they thought that you'd be most suited to keep an eye on him—he will probably wish to fight on our side if it comes to war. He's one of the Azkaban fleet commanders.' Percy consulted with a piece of paper drawn from the armful of documents he was carrying. 'Lap... no, Lupin. He's a werewolf. Remus Lupin. Rear Admiral Remus Lupin.'

'Oh, joy.' Severus suddenly regretted that he had not settled down in his mother's old townhouse in Manchester, perhaps pursuing a job in academia, teaching dunderheads chemistry or astrophysics. One of the absolute benefits of having left Azkaban for good was that he would never again have to see, speak to, or worse: be polite to idiots such as the Blacks and their pet dogs. Severus assumed that this Lupin character was one of them, the pets. No one in their right mind would wish to leave Azkaban to be with Sirius Black unless one was a slavering little dog. Prejudices were so practical: they saved Severus the annoyance of getting to know people. So he wrote off Lupin immediately, categorising him as a minor annoyance that Percy could deal with in time. Now he just needed to find a way to rid the naval premises of the werewolf as soon as humanly possible.

**IV.**

'We've put him in the Officers' Quarters, sir. One of the assistant stewards is attending to his needs.' Percy opened the umbrella he was holding and stepped aside to let Severus leave the automobile.

'Making certain he stays where he's put, is a better way to express it,' Severus said, closing the automobile's door carefully. 'Percy Weasley, always the diplomat.'

'I suppose. But he's an Azkabanese officer. He's entitled to a modicum of respect, sir.'

'Hah! He's not an English officer! Now, what about the fact that he's a werewolf?' Severus did not know the man, and he had little experience with werewolves; they were few and feared. 'It's full moon, when?' He took the umbrella. 'Are you coming, or would you rather stand in the rain?' he growled, too tired to care. He'd rather get the visit over as fast as possible so he could get some rest. The meeting with Shacklebolt had been long, tedious and had left Severus worried and exhausted. The Admiralty consisted of a bunch of old farts whose ideas were extinct long before the machine age.

'Which question do you want me to answer first? Sir. I apologise, but there is only one of me.' Percy's mouth contracted into something that looked suspiciously like a chicken's arse. 'Sir'.

'I think a reply to "why Admiral Snape has not yet had his bully of a steward face a court martial for his insolence" would be most important.' Severus shook the umbrella, making sure the cold November rain that drizzled down the black silk ended on Percy's head. Unfortunately his cap took most of it. 'You're the only person I know who can make a polite address sound like a grave insult.' Severus began walking over the airfield, the shortest way to the Officers' Quarters, utterly unfazed by the outburst his action elicited.

'Thank you, sir. I'm doing my best. I learnt from you.' Percy's face was remarkably neutral. 'It's full moon in three days—or nights, if you prefer. Rear Admiral Lupin has informed me that he might need some form of closed confinement for the night. He has some form of concoction he takes; our doctors are seeing to it that he has an adequate amount. Herbal medicine, he said.'

'Mr Lupin is a civilian. The only admiral here is me—and whomever I see fit to appoint as my vice or rear admiral. Keep that in mind, Weasley, or you will never advance!'

'Bad meeting, sir?' Severus didn't have to look at Percy to know that he was smirking.

'Oh, shut up.' Severus pulled his scarf tight against the wind and set off, briskly, in the general direction of the Officers' Quarters.

'Thought it got better after they got Admiral Shacklebolt as the First Sea Lord?' Weasley said, as if to relieve the tension.

Severus didn't reply. They walked the rest of the way in silence, past the neat rows of Sopwith Pups and BE1s. The rain was falling steadily, the sky dark. Late November was dull and cold, the trees were merely black skeletons and the airfield's grass was brown and withered. Somewhere, far away, somebody lit the gaslights in one of the buildings, making it look decidedly more appealing than the windy airfield. They went down along the red brick building. The near end belonged to the air force; the far end to the navy. The airships had been quite hard to place and someone less clever had decided that since they were ships they belonged to the Navy. Severus looked up into the rainy sky. That was the only water he and his ship had seen for ages. Navy, indeed. _Maybe_ , Severus mused, _it had been better to classify us as belonging to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries and Food. Aerostats and werewolves... and not a decent battleship in sight_. He looked up into the sky. The airships were barely visible. He could feel his ship up there, that odd sensation of energy that bound ship to its captain. The other aerostats were there too, a soft humming far away.

A cadet opened the door to the Officers' Quarters. 'Sir!' Severus nodded and stepped into the merrily lit house. A gramophone played a music hall tune, accompanied by the singing and laughter of what might have been a dozen men. There was a party going on. Severus closed his eyes as Percy closed the door. 'Please, tell me that this is not what I think it is.'

'The werewolf has landed.' Percy looked as if he shared Severus' displeasure. 'He looked quite... ragged, sir. Not a proper officer. Perhaps it explains the choice of music?' Percy's small nose wrinkled. 'Oh, well.' He walked stiffly down the corridor, all bristles, as Severus waited for the impact. There were times when Severus truly liked Percy Weasley and his determination.

'Officers! Gentleman! Quiet!' Percy's voice was impressive. The music stopped abruptly. 'Admiral Snape!'

'If I am not disturbing whatever it is you are doing,' Severus sneered as he stepped into the room. 'I do not recall allowing this sort of...' He waved a hand at the musical machine. 'commotion.'

A tall man with greying golden-brown hair stepped forward. His face was gaunt and tired and his clothes seemed old and slightly dirty, but he was still one of the most damned appealing men Severus had ever seen. Severus skipped a breath, for a few seconds lost in the length of the man's legs and in the elegance with which he moved. It might be the curse in him, but Lupin moved like a wolf, confident and smooth.

'I'm sorry, Admiral,' the man said. 'It might be that I-'

'Well, don't.' Severus had no intentions of being friends with this creature.

'-that I might have been a bit excited because of my escape from Azkaban,' the stranger continued insolently. He smiled and his face changed from tired and old to something foreign, almost inhuman. _Predator_. His teeth were charmingly uneven and very sharp and white. 'Please, forgive me if I have overstep-'

'You have.' Severus regarded the man with eyes as forthcoming and warm as a glacier in December. 'Unfortunately, the Admiralty has seen fit to bother me with your presence. I assume you are the infamous Mr Lupin.' It wasn't a question. Severus certainly had no urge to strike up a conversation with the werewolf. 'Be as kind as to do as little as possible as much as possible. And you are a guest here. Please, dress accordingly. You certainly are a sight for sore eyes.' Severus looked down his nose at the battered uniform that Lupin was wearing. 'Or better, stay out of my sight. We will surely get along swimmingly, then.'

Lupin's smile wavered for an instant before it broadened. His eyes were golden and warm, as if they were contradicting Severus' coldness. 'I am so happy that we are going to be friends,' the intolerable fool said happily, ignoring entirely Severus' dismissal. 'Unfortunately, I had to leave my luggage; escaping from insane rulers is not what it used to be. Terrible service. So hard to get decent help these days.'

Severus opened his mouth, wanting to give the wolf a thorough rebuke, but before he managed, the man had stepped closer, close enough for Severus to smell the scent of soap and something darker; a scent of earth and autumn and rotting leaves. Severus closed his mouth again; he realised he was staring vacantly at Lupin. The man was truly attractive.

'I understand the Archduke Rodolphus was very fond of you,' Lupin said softly, knowingly. 'Very fond, indeed. I can see why.' Lupin's smile revealed canines which suddenly seemed sharper and more pointed than before. He leant closer, making Severus gasp for air as a Lupin's breath ghosted over his skin. 'You're a challenge, _Admiral_. I do not know if you are aware of werewolf pack structure, but Alphas fight for dominance. Until one of us win. I'm looking forward to it.' The words were whispered quietly, but every syllable made Severus shudder. 'To have you under me.'

Severus' eyes were wide with fear and a strange feeling of arousal as Lupin straightened up and looked at him. Lupin exuded something so feral and male that it made Severus unable to think or act. Did the man truly know that Severus had been Rodolphus' lover or was it that Severus' fears and imaginations were running wild? And what was that gibberish about werewolves? Severus was no werewolf, and Lupin had no power here. 'I heard,' Severus said, almost choking on the words, 'that you were an intelligent man, Lupin. Although nothing I have seen today in any way confirms that idea, I assume I do not have to remind you of who is in charge here?'

'No, you don't,' Lupin replied confidently. 'You don't.' His eyes were no longer warm.

**V.**

Severus had called for a meeting with his officers. He had used the days since his meeting with the First Sea Lord and the rest of the Board of Admiralty to consider various strategies. It had been difficult; they would be walking the thin line between preventing a war and starting it, although as long as Bellatrix Black was involved no one would probably notice the difference. Only as an English officer, Severus wanted to uphold some kind of decency, even in a situation where crisis easily could escalate into conflict. Of course the understanding of the term "decency" would have to be stretched a little if Severus' cunning plan were to be executed. But a bit of stealing and spying was infinitely better than a war between nations. If England and Azkaban came to blows, other countries would most certainly take sides.

'Tomorrow, gentlemen,' Severus announced as soon as his lieutenants had arrived, 'we are having a small... let's call it a _practise session._ ' Severus unfolded a map that showed England and the North Sea with Azkaban in its upper right corner. 'There might be a bit of rough weather coming in from the west, and we have to be careful not to be set adrift towards our prickly neighbour.' He smirked. 'But in case we do, we better notice any unusual changes in topography or demography. Like for instance if the usurper Bellatrix Black is moving her army or some such insignificant changes. Also, the First Sea Lord would be very pleased if we would see to it that Azkaban's airship fleet is taken care of if they by chance are cut loose in the storm. And even more pleased if we would collect any stray ships. "Cannot let the poor things fly on their own, better collect them and bring them back to England", the First Sea Lord said.'

'And you wrote his lines, didn't you sir! Those old buggers in the Admiralty couldn't come up with a way to make their breakfast if their lives depended on it.'

'A bit insane. Even for us!'

'Us and what army?'

'Do they want us to bloody land the ships at Azkaban? It's a giant pile of pointy rocks! It's suicide!'

'Let's invite First Sea Lord Shacklebolt to join us and see how he'd like it!'

The captains' protests were loud and Severus agreed with most of them. It was an insane attempt. Only, if they succeeded war could be prevented. That counted for something. 'Gentlemen! Ladies! This is not a democracy. You have your orders. Act accordingly!' Severus slammed his hand down on the desk. 'Now, sit down and be quiet. You are not a bunch of unruly children, are you?'

As the question really did not require an answer, no one said anything. 'I knew I could count on you, captains, to participate in whatever madness the Admiralty has come up with.' To be true, the plan was mostly Severus' and Admiral Shacklebolt's. 'But as we all know, it is beneficial to educate oneself about one's neighbouring countries,' Severus continued. 'Improving our relation and such—so let us use this wonderful chance, putting our lives at stake doing exactly that,' Severus said, slightly sarcastic.

'Would that be a good relationship, or a bad one?' Oliver Wood laughed. 'I am certain that Bellatrix Black will be grateful for your care, sir. Although this test flight sounds remarkably as a reconnaissance mission to me. With a bit of spying and stealing on the side.'

'Does it, now? Good.' Severus pointed at the map that was spread out on the large mahogany desk. 'We're going from Hull, up to Manchester, over Edinburgh and then towards east—the Norwegian government have granted us access; they are not impressed by the Azkaban revolution, either. They fear that a war will spread from Azkaban through Europe if nothing is done. We are pretending to go to Stavanger, which provides us with an alibi for a small detour when the storm hits. If we are discovered, of course. I suggest we practise stealth mode while we're at it.' The aerostats had a remarkable talent for becoming one with the sky; almost chameleon-like their odd metal panels changed colours with the environment: blue or grey with the weather or pink and orange with the sunset or starry black with the night.

'Tonight,' Severus continued, 'the entire squadron is going up together, making sure we are ready for tomorrow. Captain Wood needs to rein his ship in, and Captain Weasley is back from his leave and might want a few hours with Dragonslayer, just to reconnect.' On the other side of the desk Charlie Weasley nodded. Weasley sat relaxed, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, sleeves pushed up. Not one for rules, either. 'I don't expect any trouble, I was with him yesternight for a few hours, on the ground. He seemed happy enough. If that is the right word.' Weasley sat up, showing off the elaborate tattoos on his arms. One of them was a tiny airship with a name, _Dragonslayer_ , printed in neat letters in a banner beneath it. Charlie's ship was always easygoing, and there was no doubt as to why. The ships chose their captains themselves—which did not bode well for Oliver Wood. Severus was glad, however, that Charlie was back. The Weasleys were the salt of the earth, or of the naval base, in this case. Captain Weasley was as reliable as his older brother, Percy, if a bit more human. As much as Severus relied on Wood, Weasley always managed to spread his usually so positive mood to the rest of the squadron and raise their spirit.

'Airborne at 2000, officers.' Severus rubbed his brow. He hoped he could manage a few hours of sleep before they went up. Since the arrival of the Azkaban refugees three days ago, Severus' hours had been mad. The Admiralty had put quite some demands on him and Severus was exhausted. The pain in his head was increasing by the second, making it almost impossible to shield himself against the agitated humming of the airships.

Severus doubted that the ships were fully conscious in any way that resembled human consciousness, but he was certain that they understood human emotion, and there was enough of that these days. Severus believed that the airships fed on it and, keeping the current situation in mind, the ships probably had the feast of their lives. Unfortunately they also wore him out when they were so... eager. Severus stood, dizzy for a few seconds. Percy quietly offered him an arm. 'Thanks,' he managed, nausea and pain cooperating in making him feel very uncomfortable. He'd have to get used to the pain—war was coming, and England relied on him and his abilities.

Percy helped him to his quarters. A nice cup of tea and warm blankets soon made Severus fall asleep.

The nice rest left Severus in a better mood and with a manageable headache. In fact, he was in such a good mood that he, as Percy returned, most uncharacteristically was humming a tune. He could neither remember where he'd heard it, nor all the words, but it had a stupid refrain, something about a weasel.

_Up and down the la-di-dah_  
 _In and out the Eagle_  
 _La-lah the Weasley_ , 

sang Severus when Percy entered his bedroom. It earned him a decidedly odd glare from the man.

'That's the gramophone record that Rear Admiral Lupin brought?' Percy raised his eyebrows. 'And you couldn't possibly be making fun of me, sir?'

 _Lupin again_! Severus' mood deteriorated hastily. As if he hadn't enough to deal with; what with Wood and his renegade ship. 'Wouldn't dream of it,' he snapped, angry with himself. Of course it was that horrid music hall ditty that Lupin had played, one good reason to never sing it again, or even like it. Severus snorted irritatedly. 'And since we are speaking of the man, where is he now? It's full moon tonight?'

'Yes.' Percy nodded. 'Currently at the mess, I think, sir. Said he needed a rare steak or two, before...'

'Before we have a slavering monster at our hands. No wonder werewolves never became household pets.' Severus reached for his uniform trousers, but Percy was faster and handed them to him, then fetching the rest of his uniform. 'And where are we going to keep the dog while he is rabid?' Severus pulled on the trousers over his long johns. Going up with the ships was a cold exercise. 'The kennels?'

'One of the engineers made him a cage. It's over at the Sopwith hangar.'

Severus laughed. 'So, he's going to be with the Pups? That'd suit him. Have you seen it?' he asked as he stood. 'My woollen coat, and the leather coat.'

'Which, sir? Your coats or the cage?' Percy's face was neutral, as always when he was being impertinent. 'Your coats are on their hangers, the cage is as I said with the Pups.'

'Weasley, that mouth of yours will be the death of you one day.' Severus turned and fetched the coats from his wardrobe himself.

'That's what my mother says, too. I have no idea what the woman could possibly mean by that.'

'I can elaborate, if you want. Boots.' Severus sat down on chair by the door.

Percy coughed. 'Thank you, sir, but that won't be necessary.' He knelt and helped Severus pull the black, knee-high boots on. 'Your gloves, sir.' Percy hurried to fetch a pair of heavy leather gloves.

'Have mulled wine and my medicine ready when we're down. And draw a hot bath for me, too.' Severus put on his cap. 'Thank you, Percy.'

'Sir.' Percy opened the door and hurried after his master towards the airfield.

**VI.**

Severus' crew was waiting for him, thirty five men, dressed for a cold night in the sky. A touch of sleet covered the field, but it was clearing and the evening sky was bright with stars. Severus' ship was hovering ten feet above the ground, waiting for its captain. 'Any word on Captain Wood's progress?' Severus looked questioningly at his 1st rudder-man. 'Mad-Eye?'

'Aye. Same old, same old. The boy is not exactly on good terms with the lass.' Lieutenant Moody shook his head. 'I think he's trying Patrick Henry's speech. The last I heard was "Give me liberty or give me death". Perhaps not the most well-thought-through choice. And,' Moody said, snorting, 'what is wrong with good Scotsmen and their speeches, I ask!' Moody pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at Wood's ship which were doing some odd somersaults, hopefully without any men in the gondola. 'He could try, " _my subjects in Scotland do their duty in nothing...nor have they performed their part in one thing that belongeth to them. I am their Queen and so they call me, but they use me not so...they must be taught to know their duties_ ". Mary, Queen of Scots. Suitable.' Moody didn't think much of Captain Wood, that was rather clear.

'Be nice, Lieutenant. Would you rather I gave _you_ the command?'

'Hah!' Lieutenant Moody grunted. 'Not in this lifetime, thank you very much. And now that I think of it, not in the next, either. I am scarred enough as it is.'

'And I need you up there with me, Alastor,' Severus admitted. 'Somebody with a cool head. Or at least someone I can trust.' The past week had been an awful time for Severus; the possibility of an attack from Azkaban was rapidly increasing: Archduchess Bellatrix's insanity had not been exaggerated. As the pressure increased, so did Severus' headaches, and if he passed out on the bridge as he had done a few times before, he needed someone vigilant and experienced with him. Lieutenant Moody was too unpolished (and to say it mildly, not entirely normal) to make it as the captain of a ship, but it did not mean that the man could not fly a ship if need be, on the contrary. There were few men better than him.

Behind them, Captain Wood seemed to have regained control of his airship. The ship was quiet now, hanging a few feet above ground, the last rung of the ladder leading to the gondola was brushing lazily against the dry grass. 'Good. Let's get up,' Severus said, taking a deep breath. He shut out the noise from the field, concentrating only on the humming from his ship, letting it feed on his thoughts. _Mayalis_?

The ship responded with a languid dignity. Severus still wondered how much they understood. The giant silver tube landed perfectly, ten feet above ground, the gondola three steps from Severus; as if to encourage him and his men to enter. He'd named the ship with the Azkabanese name for the delicate lily-of-the-valley; the small flower symbolised the return of happiness, and it was only then, as he became captain of one of the silver airships, that he found that he could be happy again. Flying with Mayalis was freedom. Severus did truly not comprehend the strange bond between them, but nevertheless he appreciated it. He had the notion at times, that Mayalis did, too. She responded to thoughts and feelings, his own, or those put to paper by authors and poets. It would be strange if the ship did not have emotions in some form as well. Only when Severus was flying with Mayalis he forgot about his life at Azkaban and the lover he had lost. Perhaps the ship had absorbed the sadness and the pain, at least Severus had no other explanation.

'So this is _your_ ship, Admiral? No wonder she wouldn't talk to me,' somebody said, ruining Severus' concentration. The werewolf! Severus muttered an oath; his eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Why is it, Lupin, that you are _here_ , and not in the comfortable little cage that someone who actually cares for you has made?' Severus looked at Percy. 'Percy, please assist Mr Lupin in getting as far away from me as possible. If China is an option, feel free to deliver him there.' Lupin was, without question, the most annoying, horrible person Severus had ever met, Count Black and his family not counting. And of course Mayalis would not speak to the wolf, neither would any of the other ships. It required an ability that the werewolf was void of, Severus was certain.

'But full moon is an half an hour from now. I'm entirely harmless until then,' Lupin had the audacity to say, smiling that predator smile that was so unsettling, and on top of that belying each and every one of his words. The man was danger, every delicious inch of him!

'I'm sure.' Severus said the words as if they were covered in poison, and the look he sent Lupin was no less poisonous. The man was nothing but trouble. On top of that, he was an offence to Severus' senses: Lupin was dressed—distastefully, as expected— in a mix of clothes, some obviously borrowed from some of the other aviators. Most noticeable was the long wolf-skin fur coat that someone in a moment of infinite idiocy had seen it fit to give the man.

Lupin did not seem to register Severus' displeasure. Lupin's expression changed as his eyes turned to the airfield and the ships which rolled slowly with the wind. Suddenly he looked a little confused, a strange, childish expression, contrasting his dominant, confident behaviour. 'Don't you speak with them? They always tried, the ships in Azkaban, but we were not allowed. "They are slaves, not pets", our admiral told us. Got me a thorough lashing once or twice. They were starving, our ships.'

Severus glared at Lupin. What did the man think? 'Yes. I do. The captains only speak with their own ship—that is why they got their aerostats in the first place. Nobody but me is able to communicate with all of them. The other captains cannot. Too straining.'

'Why?' Lupin asked so innocently that Severus was taken aback, unable to deliver a snide reply. 'It's easy enough... Just like a conversation with humans; one or two or five?' He scratched his messy greying hair, leaving it in a tangle which made him look even more like the animal he was.

Severus blinked. _Easy?_ 'Are you mad?' He replied to the rhetoric question himself. 'Yes, of course you are. The moon has damaged your brain.'

Lupin pulled the fur coat's fluffy collar up around his nape, as if Severus' coldness finally had registered. Or maybe it was just the wind and the rain. 'Quite possibly,' Lupin shrugged, 'but... Oh! Ouch!' Lupin suddenly closed his eyes in pain.

'That is why airships should not be in the hands of amateurs,' Severus sneered as a searing sting of pain went through his head. Lupin was a blur in front of him. 'Good Lord, ow!' Severus stumbled, the world seemed to upend itself. A strong arm caught him and he was pressed against a wiry, warm body. He could do nothing but to cling to it, not unless he, even less dignified, wanted to lie sprawling on the ground, unable to stay upright.

'What the hell was that?' Lupin asked, the words warm against Severus' cheek. Severus shook his head, as if to clear it, but it didn't help much. In his muddled state, he found himself caught up in the scent of fir trees and autumn, tinged with the not-so-pleasant smell of wet dog. 'Admiral?' Someone tilted Severus face up, and suddenly he was staring into a pair of fire-golden eyes, the pupils little dots into the yellow: lupine eyes.

'I- No!' Severus tried to push Remus Lupin away, both embarrassed and appalled. He had enjoyed this, just for a few, awful seconds had he enjoyed Lupin's warmth! It was disgusting!

'Shhh.' The arm around his back did not move. 'Relax, or you'll trip, Admiral.' Lupin was calm for an instant, then they were both hit again, the intense pain making them cling to each other.

'Hell,' Severus moaned, trying not to choke on the damned pelt the werewolf was wearing.

'Not half as bad as the change to wolf shape,' Lupin croaked, grinning bravely; a broad, almost hungry smile. 'Could get used to it.'

'You truly are a fool.' Severus said, supporting himself against Lupin as he looked up into the sky for the perpetrator. 'They sometimes react with pain when they're not happy, or if they're dissatisfied with us,' Severus informed, 'the airships.' He disentangled himself from Lupin's embrace, none too gently. He swayed a little before he regained his equilibrium. 'There, look!' He pointed to Captain Wood's ship. It turned and jumped and shook as if a storm had taken it. 'Wait... I have to-' Severus closed his eyes, trying to tune in on the ship, only to be met with the feeling of doors slamming shut in this face. 'We have a renegade ship on our hands,' Severus said. 'Percy!'

Before Percy could react, Bletchley and Higgs, Captain Wood's elevator-men, came running towards them. 'Captain Wood is on the bridge,' they shouted, 'sir, please do something!'

There was a reason, his talent with the airships set aside, that Severus had reached the status he had now. 'Percy, find Captain Weasley. He needs to go up and try to prevent her from bolting. 'Moody, send Flint up with Trollhammer. Get Trollhammer to press Wood's ship down—preferably here, on the airfield. Wood must take his chance and jump if he is able. Bell, Krum and Johnson are to circle the area, so they can cut her off, should she escape. Try not to hurt her.' He looked up at the unwanted guest. It was a risk to take, but a possibility that was not to be scorned if Wood's life was to be saved. 'How long before you change?'

It was no coincidence, either, that Lupin had risen in the Azkaban air force, Severus had to give him that. The man was not exactly stupid.

'Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. The gondola! You or me?'

'You.'

Severus spotted Percy beneath Dragonslayer. Charlie Weasley had his ship in the air, heading for the rebellious aerostat. 'Percy. To me!' Severus began running towards his steward. He hesitated, then turned around. 'Do you know how to shield against them?' he asked Lupin. 'No, of course you don't. Think of nothing. Emptiness. Shouldn't be too difficult for you.'

'I'll try to control her. It becomes easier as the moon rises. The wolf is... dominant. Doesn't like disobedient pack members.' Lupin trotted along, following Severus as he aimed for the centre of the airfield. A strong wind swept over the withering grass. 'Shit, it's cold.'

'It'd be good if you stopped thinking _and_ speaking,' Severus growled. 'I don't care.'

'As I recalled it, it was you who asked me to come along,' Lupin said, annoyingly chipper and slightly breathless. 'But if you can manage the ship yourself, I'll just go back inside. I'd much rather have a cuppa and a biscuit in my cage.'

Severus couldn't really argue against that, so he took his own advice and said nothing. They stopped in the middle of the airfield. Above them, Trollhammer was searing upwards, as fast as Flint could fly with her. Flint was a former bomber pilot and he flew hard and fast. No wonder that Trollhammer had taken to him; the ship was as rough and hard as its captain. Wood's aerostat was trying to avoid Flint, as if it had understood his intent. The two airships collided, the metal screeching from the impact. Trollhammer made a large dent in the rebel's polished aluminium shield.

Reaching for Percy as support, Severus breached himself. Tryingly, he connected with the wild mind of Wood's ship. The onslaught of impressions that reached him almost brought him to his knees. 'Oh, God,' he groaned, keeping himself upright by hanging on to Percy's shoulder. 'That was... Oh.' He turned around and sicked up his afternoon tea. With his back turned, he managed to find his handkerchief, wiping his mouth. 'Sometimes I wish I'd pursued a career as a chemist instead.'

'Here.' Lupin patted Severus on the shoulder. He handed Severus a small, leather-clad flask. 'Brandy.'

'Thanks.' Severus flushed his mouth with the strong drink. At least the alcohol made him feel clean. He took another sip, shuddering as the brandy hit his empty stomach. He felt decidedly weak.

'Sir! Admiral!' Above them, Sub-Lieutenant Longbottom, Captain Weasley's rudder-man, was hanging out one of the gondola's windows. 'We've located Wood, sir. He's hurt. Can't get out,' Longbottom shouted, the words torn by the wind. 'Your orders?'

Before Severus managed to say anything, Lupin spoke. 'We have fifteen minutes, if we're cutting it close, he said, obviously assessing Severus' state. 'Berate me later, Admiral. Cooperate now.' Lupin waved at Longbottom. 'Sub-Lieutenant, get Dragonslayer on the ground, the Admiral and I are going up.'

'Lupin, I am going to kill you,' Severus began, not entirely convincing, before Lupin cut him off.

'Later. Let's get Wood out first. Trust me,' Lupin demanded. He handed the wolf fur coat to Percy. 'If we can get close, I can jump from Dragonslayer's gondola. Perhaps I might gain some form of cooperation from the bloody ship if I'm up there.'

'Oh, don't underestimate yourself,' Severus muttered sarcastically, but realised that no matter how much he despised the man, Lupin was the best chance they had to get Wood out alive. And if Lupin was lost in the attempt, at least he wasn't one of Severus' men, and he'd be rid of the unwanted guest. Not without merit, that plan.

Captain Weasley had Dragonslayer brushing the ground in a few seconds. Eager hands helped Severus and Lupin inside, into the narrow, boat-like structure hanging under the giant silver structure. Wheels and wires and long metal beams filled the most of the gondola: yellow brass and silver iron and copper, polished red, almost a reflected Captain Weasley's flaming red hair. At the fore, there was a large, golden-red wheel; Weasley and his officers rarely used it, not unless his ship was resting. Dragonslayer and he were a team. They flew _together_. No one forced Dragonslayer against his will.

'Captain, get us as close to the ship as possible. If we can get a few ropes on her, we might be able to pull ourselves over. But let's be fast. Ten minutes, and all I can do is bark at you. Well, bark and a few other less pleasant things.' Lupin stood tall and dominant as if he was the one commanding the squadron. Severus was just too nauseous and too worried to do anything about it. But later... oh... yes. Lupin needed to be taken down a peg or two.

'Sir!' Charlie Weasley did not question Lupin taking over command, either. Severus had to admit that the werewolf, despite his chipper mood and his tail-wagging, was a natural leader, one men would follow, not out of duty, but out of fondness. As if it'd do him any good in a war. That was how men were lost; when they were too fond of each other. That Severus was doing the exact same thing, taking a grave risk for someone who was more to him than just a soldier, did not occur to him.

They climbed into the sky rapidly. Trollhammer still had Wood's ship pinned; the ship was tilted slightly so that her belly was exposed. 'On her starboard side. From the aft.' Severus saw their chance offered up nicely. 'Sub-lieutenant Longbottom! Megaphone!'

Longbottom hurried to execute the order. 'Sir!' He handed Severus the item in question.

Severus leaned out of the bridge's open windows. 'Flint, roll her over to port!' he shouted, hoping the crew would hear. Flint's rudder-man signalled a confirmation, barely visible in the dark. Trollhammer's gondola was a weak light in the night; Wood's gondola was black as tar; no lights to guide them. Now they could only hope for the best, or Wood would be doomed.

'Ready?' Severus turned around. Lupin was standing right behind him and the man's closeness made Severus gasp for air. Lupin certainly had a disturbing relationship with personal space. But Lupin looked ready with his long hair whipping in the wind, and the odd yellow eyes excited.

Lupin smiled and nodded, knowingly, as if he could read Severus' thoughts. 'Always, _sir_.' Severus got the distinct notion that Lupin was goading him, teasing him. Again.

Weasley's officers were ready, boat hooks out, as their captain brought Dragonslayer closer. A few attempts, and Longbottom and Higgs had pulled Dragonslayer as close as they could, still leaving a considerable gap between the two gondolas. The two ships were so close that the noise from their clashing metal shields was drowning out the sound of the wind. Lupin had tied a rope around his waist. 'I'll go first. Wait until I've secured the line.'

They were close to the ground, but there was still many feet to fall. Lupin seemed unimpressed. He barely touched the shafts of the boat hooks as he made his way to Wood's ship, almost jumping the gap that opened beneath him, windy teeth and cold darkness. 'Quick, Admiral,' Lupin shouted. 'Not much time left!'

Severus carefully climbed out the window, walking the rickety bridge made of the two wooden poles. Supporting himself, both hands on the rope that Lupin had pulled with him, it took merely three painstakingly seconds of anxious balancing before Severus with Lupin's arm around his waist was helped inside the gondola. He landed on his feet, once more pressed flush against Lupin's sinewy body.

Lupin seemed disinclined to let go. 'Filthy habit we're developing here, Admiral,' the annoying wolf almost purred in Severus' ear. Perhaps Lupin truly did know about Severus' inclination, or about his long-lasting love-affair with Azkaban's dethroned ruler. 'I'm so happy you like me this much.' The ship made an effort to free itself from Trollhammer's and Dragonslayer's hold on her, causing Lupin to move, his thigh rubbing against Severus' crotch, eliciting sensations that were decidedly uncalled for.

'Don't flatter yourself,' Severus said, his voice icy. 'I don't have time to play your little games, and as I understand it, neither have you.' Severus pushed Lupin's arm away, turning to take the storm lantern that Sub-Lieutenant Higgs in a fit of brilliance had found. It swung wildly in the wind as Higgs handed it to them hanging from the tip of the boat hook. Lupin was holding on to the wires that ran along the sides of the gondola. He held out a hand for Severus to take, and he had no option than to take it, unless he wanted to end up sprawling on the floor which moved back and forth, up an down, as the ship attempted yet another escape.

The storm lantern provided little light in the dark. The tiny flame reflected itself in the engine's polished surfaces. 'Down here,' said Lupin. 'I can smell him. Human.' Lupin's fingers tightened around Severus'; a painful, rough grip.

There was something in Lupin's voice causing Severus to stiffen. 'Lupin?' He did not want to know what was going on, but they—Lupin—was running short of time; the moon was rising.

'I''ll manage.' It was more a growl than human speech. 'Hurry. Find him. Hurry. Out.' It seemed as if Lupin's abilities to express himself in an educated manner were dwindling rapidly. Lupin let go. In the dim light, he looked more like a wolf than a human, as if his face had changed. His teeth flashed white. 'I make ship... obey, make quiet,' he said, one hand on the quiet engine. 'Find Captain.'

Stunned, Severus watched Lupin's hands turn into claw-like fingers. Then he turned and ran, as fast as he could, down the short corridor to the bridge. Behind him a wild animal roared loudly, the roar turning into a sobbing howl mingling with the wind. Maybe the ship saw it as a challenge: it threw Severus a few feet in the air, shaking and turning, until it finally shuddered and stopped, and so did the howling.

The silence was deadly.

In three steps Severus was at the wheel. Wood lay unconscious next to it. A pool of coagulated blood surrounded his head; a fatal halo in brown and red. 'Wood? Wood? Oliver?' Nothing.

Another loud growl rolled through the ship, another howl began. Severus knew he needed to get out, now! Without thinking, he pulled Wood up, and with a strength he didn't know he had, he slung him over his shoulder, hoping that Wood was still alive—and that nothing he did would hurt the wounded captain. For an instant, Severus looked up, up at the sky, and the moon hung, round and full, outside, showing with its clear, white winter light the danger that Severus and his young captain was in.

Choosing the corridor that ran along the engine on the opposite side, away from the werewolf, hoping they would make it. Severus had little desire to end his life in such as remarkably undignified manner as to be eaten by a hungry werewolf. 'I hope you bloody well got your rare steak before this disaster,' Severus wheezed as he ran, trying in the dark to locate Lupin. No werewolf was in sight, only the light from the brightly lit Dragonslayer.

Captain Weasley and his men were ready at the other side. 'Just get the rope around him, sir. We'll pull him over.' Severus managed to push Wood, lying on his belly with the rope tightly wound around his waist, across the hook poles. Then Severus realised their mistake. The rope was gone.

'Get another line over here, and fast,' he cried. He could feel the danger as a lump in his chest; whether it was his heart, trying to claw its way out of his chest, or just plain old nausea, Severus didn't know. He just knew that his risk of being torn into little pieces by a werewolf had just drastically risen. 'Hurry!' he shouted against the wind, looking back over his shoulder. Maybe Lupin was able to hold back? Maybe there was a chance of getting out of this alive? Severus' blood thundered; his hands shook as he reached for the line that Captain Weasley threw him. Finally he managed to catch it, on the second attempt, and readied himself for the nerve-wracking passage over the to the other ship.

He had it there. A generous length of rough, strong rope. But as the werewolf came at him from behind, pulling him away by the collar, the line was pulled out if his hands, leaving nothing but burn-marks and emptiness. The beast's strength was incredible.

Then the world went black and painful and frightening. The world tasted remarkably of blood.

**VII.**

Severus had seen wolves before, but this was nothing like a wolf. The shape maybe, but nothing else. The werewolf was huge, wild, deadly, just because it was. It was not driven, like wolves, by hunger or care for the pack. The werewolf was fierce and aggressive by nature, and Severus knew he had never been so afraid in his entire life. As he lay on his back, staring into the yellow eyes, into the glistening teeth that probably would tear his throat out in a minute, Severus decided that he wanted to die with dignity. There would be no screaming or begging; it would probably just egg the wolf on. Also, it was his duty, as the leader of the squadron, to set an example for his men, even in death. At least they would drink to him tonight, praising his bravery, if not shedding many a tear over him. Severus was not loved, but merely respected. Still, he did not want to die a coward's death.

The wolf's smelly breath was damp against Severus' skin. The wolf just stood there, all bristles and teeth and aggression. Why didn't it do anything? 'Tiresome and annoying, even now,' Severus said, not surprised that Lupin was able to irritate him, even in a situation like this. 'Get on with it, you fool,' Severus goaded. 'I don't have time to get killed all day.' He turned his head away, baring his throat, pulling his scarf away to give the wolf access. 'Well, get it over with. At least you can't bother me when I'm dead.'

But strangely enough there was no pain and no tearing of flesh. Above him, the werewolf made something that sounded like a sigh, before it almost gently bit Severus' throat carefully without breaking the skin. Then it stepped back, only one or two feet, just standing there, as if it considered what to do.

'Admiral? Sir?' Charlie Weasley's voice was magnified by the megaphone. 'Sir? Are you alive?'

Barely, it seemed. Severus was in doubt whether he dared move. With his eyes on the wolf which stood statue-like in the dark, Severus began to work himself into a more upright position.

The wolf wouldn't stand for it. It was over him again in a flash, teeth bared. 'Whoa.' Severus hurried to assume the position he'd been in before; flat on the cold floor, eyes averted and his throat bared. 'Lupin, damned!' The werewolf pulled back again, merely stating its claim with a slight scratching of teeth against Severus' skin. Severus understood immediately. 'I'm not moving. So go away.' If there was the slightest chance that he could make it through the night, he'd stand on his head singing "Land of Hope and Glory" backwards until sunrise, if that's what it took. 'Good wolf.'

Lupin tilted his head a bit, as if he understood the words. Severus didn't think so, or rather he wouldn't count on it. There was no human thoughts left in that furry head, that much was certain. 'I'm just going to tell the others that I'm fine,' Severus explained, 'not that it matters to you. I'm staying here.' Severus didn't move but shouted as loud as he could, hoping the crew over at Dragonslayer would hear. 'I'm all right, can't get away before the moon is gone! Don't attempt to board until I tell you to. That's an order!'

'No boarding. We'll wait for the moon! Has he bitten you, sir?' Weasley obviously understood.

'No. Not _yet_!' Severus was encouraged by the fact that Lupin didn't seem to care about the shouting, only about the moving around. 'Get rest. Keep one ship airborne and close!'

'Yes, sir!'

Even if the entire bloody royal airship fleet was participating, nothing could be done to save its admiral, Severus realised. Unless a brilliant mind invented a cure for werewolves overnight. Only Severus wanted out, off the damned ship, and away from the wolf as fast as possible. Providing he lived through the night, of course. The ship was dark and quiet. The storm lantern on the bridge provided nothing but a few dancing shadows in the corridor. The light from Dragonslayer's gondola lit the aft merely enough for Severus to see the wolf. Lupin seemed preoccupied with something Severus could neither see, nor hear. The wolf whined, let out a few yelps, then sat down next to Severus, not really paying attention to him, which in itself was a blessing.

Time passed by slowly. Severus didn't know how long he had been on the floor, but it was icy and he was shivering. Although he was dressed for November's cold weather, The uniform was not meant to keep an inactive man warm. 'Good Lord, it's cold,' Severus muttered, pushing his hands into his armpits to get a bit of warmth in his frozen, sore hands. The wolf was acting oddly again: it was looking up, turning its head as if he was listening to a faraway howl. Severus wasn't complaining, but it was still strange. It still beat being torn in pieces by a length or five, though.

'What are you doing?' Severus asked the wolf, mostly because he, despite the dangerous situation, felt bored. He wished there were less tedious ways to save one's life. 'I begin to think it'd have been easier if you'd just eaten me. Or are you waiting for my limbs to freeze so that they break off easily? As expected, Lupin did not reply. He just looked once, head askew, before he returned to his former state. For a while, Severus just lay on the floor, listening to the wind and the metal plates of the ship which moved in the wind. Only then did he realise that the ship had stopped moving. Not just had it ceased fighting, but it was calm and quiet and Severus couldn't pick up any emotions from the giant aerostat. It just hung in the wind, rocking slowly; an airborne elephant, resting from a day's hard work. Not daring to probe further into the atavistic mind of the ship, Severus wondered if Lupin's strange behaviour was connected to the ships baffling lack of it.

Outside, sounds from Dragonslayer died down as the crew obeyed Severus' command and went to their tiny cabins to rest. Seconds dragged the night forth, but the sky was still dark; no tinge of sunrise; no blush of light in the clouds. Severus found it to quite unsettling to be bored, chilled to the bone and in mortal danger. The floor was particularly uncomfortable. Severus was so cold that he wanted to curl up like a cat; it made it worse, lying flat on one's back. 'I'm freezing,' he told Lupin, who seemed to be far away, in some sort of mental trance. 'If it is not terribly rude or breaking any werewolf rules, I'd really like to move,' he said, teeth chattering, knowing it didn't matter. He'd probably be punished as soon as he tried.

Lupin shook his great head, making the fur shed, and a few disgusting drops of saliva flew through the air. 'No wonder I'm not entirely fond of dogs,' Severus mused. 'That, Lupin, was appalling.' Immediately Severus regretted that he'd said anything at all. One jump, and the wolf was standing over him, sniffing at his chin. Then the damned thing began prodding at him, as if to make him turn on his side. Very slowly and carefully Severus tried to arrange himself, watching out for the tiniest sign of anger from the werewolf. As he finally lay on his side, his back turned, the wolf snorted: it sounded as if Lupin was satisfied. Then the beast jumped away and trotted around Severus only to lie down next to him, half-way on top of Severus' cold body. Lupin yawned loudly, then went to sleep.

Oh, blessed warmth! Right there and then, Severus didn't care if he ended up in the wolf's belly sooner or later: at least the beast was warm! And as he understood the wisdom in letting sleeping werewolves lie, unless there was a real chance of escaping them, he tried to relax as best he could, warming his hands in the thick, lush fur. That way at least he would die comfortably and at a fitting temperature. Grey fur was surrounding him, and although the smell reminded Severus of a wet dog, it wasn't entirely displeasing. He tried to hold back a yawn, to no avail. It was probably the shock, Severus knew. He was so exhausted he could hardly keep his eyes open. He managed for a few minutes. Then he, too, fell asleep, snuggled up against one of the most feared and dangerous creatures known to man.

**VIII.**

The grey dawn sneaked over the sky, neither moon nor sun visible. Severus sat up, not really aware of where he was. His bedroom did not look like this; and it was definitely not so cold. Then the night's events dawned. Lupin! Severus carefully pushed himself up: sitting on the floor he looked for the moon, but it seemed that it had disappeared and luckily, so had Lupin. Not knowing the details of werewolf transformation, Severus stood. 'Lupin?' he called quietly, not wanting to appear threatening. 'Lupin?' Severus stuck his head out of the gondola. Over at Dragonslayer, Higgs was nodding off.

'Sub-Lieutenant! Mess cleaning for sleeping on your watch.' Severus growled, as the man startled. 'How is Captain Wood? Is he at the hospital?'

'Sir! I'm sorry! Yes; he's fine, sir! Merely a concussion and a three-stitches wound!' Higgs fought to regain his composure. 'Sir, are you safe? Do you need assistance?' Higgs reached for a rope.

'Hold it. I am going to look for Lupin. He has not by any chance rid the world of his unpleasant company in a way I have yet to discover, has he?' There was a faint hope, but Severus wouldn't wager. Lupin seemed remarkably resistant.

'No, sir. There was a bit of commotion at moonset, but-'

'Yes?'

'As there was no screaming, we followed your orders and stayed on ship. Excuse me for asking, sir, Lupin didn't bite you, did he?'

'Not that I know of. Disappointed?'

'Of course not, sir.' Higgs sent Severus an apologetic smile. 'I'll alert Captain Weasley and your steward, sir.'

Food. Warmth. A steaming bath. Oh, yes, please. To be clean and full and warm... 'Tell Percy to have my bath ready. And four eggs, bacon on the crispy side and a bucket of tea.' Severus turned around, ready to face the wolf once more. As Lupin hadn't shown up, in one form or another, something hopefully had happened to the man. Hadn't he talked about the transformation as something painful? Severus hoped it was. Really, really painful. He went down the corridor along the engine, to the spot where Lupin might have changed yesterday. At first, Severus couldn't see Lupin, but as he almost tripped over a naked foot, he assumed that the rest of Lupin would be at the other end. He followed the leg it sat on, assuming that it logically would end somewhere around Lupin's arse (which seemed to be permanently attached to where his head should be, though). Severus wasn't wrong. Lupin had crawled underneath the machinery, curling up on top of the clothes that he had torn off as he transformed yesterday. He was asleep, naked; shivering and panting, as if his entire body was hurting.

'Lupin?' Severus poked the man in the ribs with a finger. 'Wake up.'

Moaning, Lupin stirred, uncurled, then hit his head on one of the engine's metal beams as he tried to sit. 'Ouch. Oh...' Lupin made a gagging sound; Severus thought he might sick up and moved back a little.

'You stink, wolf. Don't make it worse.'

'God! Admiral... I'm... Oh!' Lupin acted so confused that Severus was in doubt whether his mind was intact. 'I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't, did I? Bite you?' Lupin's voice was barely audible.

'No. No thanks to you, filthy beast.' Severus' reply was venomous.

'I suppose I deserved that one.' He sat there for a while, Lupin, then made another attempt to untangle himself from the engine, groaning from the exercise. He was definitely in pain. He managed to get up, supporting himself, leaning against the engine.

'Better?' asked Severus, deceptively polite. He could feel his anger, repressed since yesternight, rising, irrepressible.

'A little.' Lupin nodded.

'Good,' Severus said and punched Lupin in the face. 'And you deserved _that_ one, too.' He shook his hand. Lupin's face was harder than he'd counted on. 'And get dressed. You're naked.' Deliberately Severus refrained from looking at Lupin's lean body. He had a disturbing notion that the sight would be... pleasurable.

Lupin looked like a hurt puppy as he stood there, rubbing his cheekbone. 'I-'

'Shut up. I am not a violent man, but in your case, I'm willing to make an exception. Get on with it.' Severus waved a hand, as if that would help Lupin move. 'Weasley is waiting for you. Get some clothes on and get on the ground. And pray I decide not to kill you at some point later. It is still a matter undecided.'

\- 0 -

Lying in his gigantic bath tub, Severus mused on the night's events. He had a small table on his right hand with a pot of tea, his bath water was pleasantly scented with a mix of lemon and spices. Severus ought to feel relaxed, but he didn't. It wasn't that he'd almost been eaten by a werewolf. It wasn't that the werewolf had acted so dominantly and that it had craved Severus' submission to a humiliating degree. No, it was the minute instant of Severus' hand touching naked skin and the sight of Lupin's long, slender leg, muscular in a way that made Severus want to let his hands slide up to the end of the thigh, to touch and fondle what he might find there. For a while he tried to ignore the feeling, to no avail. Severus' body was overruling his mind and as he got yet another erection, thinking of Lupin, he gave up. Without looking into the water, strangely modest, he took himself in hand, bringing himself off in what seemed to be mere seconds, imagining himself thrusting into Lupin's body: hard and brutal, until Lupin cried out and came with Severus' semen running down his delicious thighs.

Ashamed, Severus cleaned himself, both of the thoughts and of the residues of his orgasm. It most certainly had been too long since he had had an encounter with another man when Lupin, a man he hated and despised from the moment he lay eyes on him, could elicit such intense longing in his touch-starved body.

He had barely managed to wrap himself into a large towel, meaning to sit in front of the fire, eating a sandwich and drinking the rest of his tea, before there was a loud knocking on the door to his quarters. It surely wasn't Percy since the steward would just have stepped inside; there were little secrets left between the two of them. 'Moment,' Severus therefore said and went to find his robe. On bare feet he walked to the door. Outside stood the man he'd least like to see: Remus Lupin.

Lupin looked down; a kicked dog. 'I came to apologise once more, Admiral. It was inexcusable. I _always_ control the wolf; I never take risks like this one.'

Severus sneered. 'Not so cocky now, are you? "I have fifteen minutes", you said. More like fifteen seconds to me, and you were willing to spread your filthy disease to both Captain Wood and me?' Severus clenched the door frame. His knuckles were bruised. There was a bad scratch on one of them. To Severus' immense pleasure, Lupin had a wonderful, purple mark on the left cheek.

'We're at the brink of war. Captain Wood is indispensable.' Lupin looked up, directly into Severus' eyes. 'And so, I understand, are you.' There was a glint in Lupin's eyes that hinted on something else, something more. 'After this night, I understand why.'

'No, we are not at the brink of war, I am.' Severus crossed his arms over his chest, as if it was possible to deflect Lupin that way. 'You are merely a refugee without rank.'

'No. I'm a refugee from a country which will never again be mine. I am staying in England.' Lupin paused. 'Admiral... Severus... there is something else...'

That earned Lupin a dark glare from Severus. 'I am quite certain I never have allowed you to use my first name. Please refrain from such unwelcome familiarities.' He pursed his mouth in an expression of contempt.

' _Severus_ ,' the impertinent idiot repeated, 'I woke up this morning, naked, pressed against your body, and found you... interesting,' Lupin said, and now _his_ expression had changed. 'I went to England because I will have nothing further to do with Azkaban. I have a new mother country now. But I also went because I knew you, or rather knew about you, and I thought you were a brave man who stood by his friends and his convictions. Someone who would help us. My friend, Sirius, argued otherwise. "A cowardly turncoat", he called you. I did not agree.' Lupin paused, maybe he wasn't sure how to continue. 'Sirius and I... we knew about you and your relationship with Rodolphus, and... and I thought... hoped, that perhaps we could be.. friends. That perhaps you'd allow me to fight on your side, to liberate the country we once shared.' There was a flicker of familiar pain in Lupin's eyes. 'That... we'd...'

'And give me one reason to trust you, Lupin. One. And I might consider-' Severus stopped himself. What, precisely, did he want to consider? To let Lupin fight? Believing in him enough to let him become a friend? Hardly! To let Lupin pursue him because he found him "interesting"? It was impossible to deny that the thought was exciting, as Severus had already defiled himself with impure fantasies of Lupin and especially Lupin's tight arse clenching around Severus' hard cock. And Severus couldn't stop himself from remembering the lean beauty of Lupin's naked body. Severus blushed. Violently.

Severus realised immediately that the meek facade that Lupin had put up had but been a lie. A lie! For Lupin merely laughed. 'So that it how it is?' He took a step forward, forcing Severus to take one step back, and then another. 'I can smell it, Severus,' Lupin growled. 'And I could smell it this morning, your arousal. I just didn't believe it. You say you hate me without really knowing me. I can live with that; I've given you little reason to love me—especially after this night.' He took yet another step, moving so forcefully that Severus shrank back, wondering if the werewolf was still inside Lupin, fighting to get out. Behind him, a large oak chest of drawers prevented his escape. A pair of silver candlesticks fell over with a loud clatter and took a crystal bowl with them. 'Look me in the eye and deny that you want me to touch you,' Lupin demanded, and the tone of his voice went straight to parts of Severus which needed no encouragement as it was. 'Deny that you felt it the moment you set eyes on me. This angry, erotic tension.'

'You tried to kill me, Lupin!' Severus could feel the warmth of Lupin's body. He was too close. Far too close. 'I didn't feel a thing!'

Lupin leaned forward, putting a hand on each side of Severus. He was pinned there, between the oak dresser and the werewolf. 'Liar. You did. You felt excitement. From fear, from arousal, from the fight that started between us when you defied me so proudly when we met.'

Severus' lower parts stirred, once more confirming that Lupin, unfortunately, was right. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Don't you?' Lupin closed the small gap between them, his thigh hot against Severus' hardness. 'Don't you?' he whispered once more, ever so softly, and raised a hand to cup Severus' jaw. 'You truly are a damned lousy liar, Admiral Snape.'

Surprisingly it was Severus who initiated the kiss. Betrayed by his own needs and desires and by the long draught his body had lived through, he buried his thin fingers in Lupin's lush hair, and kissed him: violently, hungrily, urgently. Lupin tasted of hatred and desire and fear, and that was the most alluring taste Severus had ever tasted. Oh, God, how he loathed Lupin! Only that moment it didn't matter. All that mattered was Lupin's body against his own, Lupin's tongue that stroked Severus', Lupin's hands that touched and caressed and... Oh! Severus' robe slid down his shoulders, leaving Lupin the visible proof that Severus was indeed, despite his fear and loathing, very interested and very aroused.

Fumbling, Lupin unbuttoned his own trousers. Suddenly their erections were rubbing together, pulled together in Lupin's strong hand, encasing them both. Still kissing, as if letting go would also mean they'd both have to let go of this brief cease fire, they moved together, hardness against hardness, tongue against tongue, until their lust washed over them. Moaning and thrusting, they came: a warm splash on Severus' stomach announced Lupin's completion an instant before he cried out his own orgasm. Christ almighty, Lupin was no novice when it came to love between men!

'Severus... mmm,' Lupin mumbled, languid words, whispered softly as he caressed Severus' cheek. 'That was... '

'The first, last and only time you _ever_ touch me like this.' Severus' voice was low too, angry, now that he was able to take control over his mental faculties. 'Don't think that I'll allow you to-'

Severus' regret and anger was cut off by another kiss. He fought Lupin weakly, but the sensation of the wet, delightful kiss was the best argument that Lupin could have procured if he wanted to convince a snarky admiral of the brilliance of urgent sex. Lupin certainly was a hard man to argue with. Severus gave up and let Lupin kiss him again. And again. 'Don't think I'll let you have power over me,' Severus moaned, caught up in the caressing that had resumed. No, Lupin would never be allowed to have power over him. Severus had tried that once, with Rodolphus, and it would never happen again. Emotions were dangerous.

'I do not wish to have power over you,' Lupin said, his lips barely leaving Severus'. 'That is not how it works. I want you to come to me of your own volition. And I want you to stay, not because I bind you, but because you wish to.'

'That will never happen,' Severus said and kissed Lupin once more. This once he'd allow it, just to get relief from the long reprieve, then never again, never! Lupin was disgusting, and Severus would abhor being with a beast like Lupin.

**IX.**

Since the instant that Lupin walked into his life, nothing seemed to work out in Severus' favour. The strategy meeting at his office had underlined that the Royal Airship Fleet was nowhere near the pinnacle of airship fleets: they needed more ships, and the ones they had were not cooperating. Severus could not prevent himself from thinking of Lupin's words about him, coming to Lupin of his own volition. The ships worked like that, too. They were at their best when they were free, not like the Azkaban ships, enslaved. Severus would not allow such uncivilised ideas, though. Although no one understood how, precisely, the ships worked, the English ships were free. Unfortunately, Captain Wood's ship had decided that she did not want to be a part of the fleet, and apart from forcing the ship down so they could save its captain, Severus had no intentions of using further violence against the feral aerostat.

That the ship had rebelled was of course problematic. Especially now, today, when Severus needed Wood by his side. Severus turned a piece of paper in his hands: a long list of goals for their mission. The orders from the Admiralty underlined that they were undermanned, or under-shipped, of such an idea existed. One ship less than they'd counted on could mean difficulties that Severus did not need. The mission was in danger. His men's lives were in danger. Liberating the Azkaban ships and freeing Bellatrix's prisoners... they'd be challenging fate, going in with only six airships.

'Since Rear Admiral Lupin and you, sir, abandoned ship, she's been like that.' Oliver interrupted Severus' musing. The captain looked out the window, at the sky, and his voice was sad as he continued: 'She won't come down, I cannot contact her, she doesn't eat; or at least the tower crew says that she hasn't fed on them as she has done the other days. She doesn't listen to anything we read to her.' He scratched his nose, and snorted. 'She's never been happy with us, but I've never seen her entirely... dead. I suppose it's time we let her go?'

Captain Weasley was playing with his cap, absent-mindedly. 'But,' he said, finally leaving the innocent cap alone for a while, 'the ship calmed down as soon as Admiral Snape and Rear Admiral Lupin entered. Didn't you notice?' he asked, addressing no one in particular. 'Can't we look for a solution there? If we can figure out why she reacted to them?'

Severus was quiet, leaning back in the deep chair he was sitting in. Charlie Weasley was right. Severus hadn't noticed; he'd had enough on his mind, trying not to get killed by a werewolf. Now that he thought of it, Lupin—or rather the werewolf edition of Lupin—had acted rather oddly as well. 'I do not think she reacts to me,' he said. 'She managed to give me a particularly nasty headache. I can't even contact her any longer. It is strange, though. Lupin told me that they don't speak with the ships at Azkaban. He discovered it by chance, but wasn't allowed to pursue his talent.' No matter how much Severus wanted to exclude Lupin, everything spoke in his favour. He sat for a while, once more considering his options. He had known, almost since he discovered that Lupin was able to speak with all the ships that there was only one thing to do. 'Percy,' Severus waved his steward closer. 'Please, go ask Mr Lupin to attend, if he is not otherwise occupied. I'd prefer if he was, but I suppose we won't have such luck.'

Percy sent Severus a quizzical look. 'Sir?'

'Go fetch, Percy! Good dog.'

'And my father _told_ me to become a Harrods desk clerk,' Percy said, loud enough for Severus to hear. 'I should have listened! Jesus Christ!'

'I heard you, Weasley. Would you rather I transferred you to His Majesty's lovely ship, the _Havoc_? A few months of destroyer service could possibly teach you one or two things. Like being polite to your superior.'

'Of course not, sir,' Percy said and turned around to look at Severus before he closed the door. He'd once more regained his usual superior and annoyingly correct attitude. 'It'd kill you. You'd be lost without me.'

There was that. The other officers obviously knew, too—and they were rude enough to laugh. Severus shook his head. 'That's what comes from collecting all the Army and Navy misfits in once place,' he growled. 'Brats, all of you! Yes, and you, too, Flint!' Severus pointed at Flint, who was the only one who'd been an air force pilot before he came to the Navy Airship Fleet.

'We were the only ones batty enough to join,' Flint teased. 'You'd made yourself quite a reputation even before you were appointed, Admiral. And not entirely unfounded.'

'Sweet,' Severus said. 'You, Flint, would have killed yourself with your reckless flying, had it not been for me.' Severus knew very well that he was respected, but feared by half the Navy—including the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty and own his men. 'But here you are, and tonight we're heading out to do what we have practised for for years, and more. Now we better prove that what we do is important, that we have something to offer that traditional warfare does not.'

Severus unfolded a few more maps, and for a while they engaged themselves in planning the liberation of airships and prisoners. As Severus knew more or less every inch of the small island, he was confident they could finish their mission without any losses - that was if they could touch and go before the Azkaban Air Force could send up a counter attack.

The meeting was interrupted by Percy who returned with Lupin. Severus' heart felt like taking a few extra heartbeats. Lupin's face was neutral, though Severus wasn't certain he managed to look unaffected himself.

'You wanted to see me, Admiral?'

There wasn't time to discuss things at length. Severus could nurture his desire for Lupin and the contrasting werewolf-phobia at an opportune moment - and this wasn't it. 'Captain Wood's ship... it calmed down when you transformed into a wolf. Why?'

Lupin smiled, a perfect, warm, confident smile. 'I'm a bit of a mindless creature during full moon, as you regrettably have noticed in person. I'm not quite sure why she reacted; it might be-' Lupin paused and his lips curled in a way that reminded Severus of their kisses, and unfortunately Lupin looked like he remembered them too. 'It might be the dominance of an Alpha male,' Lupin said and _smirked_. 'In my experience some peo- er- creatures react very strongly to it.'

Severus couldn't breathe. Oh, bloody festering hell! _Some people react very strongly to it_. There were parts of Severus which definitely reacted. Severus moved on the chair, uncomfortable. 'Really? You do not appear very dominant to me,' Severus retorted, his face expressing nothing, or so he hoped. Lupin was not supposed to come into Severus' office, reeking of confidence and, worse, of lust.

Lupin put his hand on the desk, leaning forward, so that only Severus could see his face. Lupin smelled clean; slight notes of summer trees and lemon. This time Lupin didn't look forthcoming and warm. He looked as if the wolf was there, right behind his golden eyes and his pale skin. 'It's a mistake one only makes once, Admiral.' Canines flashed white in the gas light. Inadvertently Severus brushed a hand down his own chest, just where Lupin had bitten him in a heated moment, causing Severus to come, attempting to muffle his cries with a pillow. He couldn't remember whether it was the second or the third time Lupin took him.

Lupin's knowing smile was triumphant. 'Do you need further proof?'

'Have you tried to speak with her since?' Severus asked, ignoring Lupin's question entirely. _Or have you been too busy having sex with the chief of command to think at all?_ , he could have added, because Severus knew exactly what Lupin had been doing until they woke up in each other's arms an hour ago. Those particular exercises left little time for mental prowess.

'No, Admiral. After the pleasant hours I spent in your company, I was exhausted, to be honest. Worn out.'

Oh, _really_. 'I see. It must have been very taxing to transform.'

'Indeed. Almost as taxing as changing one's mind, Admiral,' Lupin said before he looked around for a place to sit. 'The process is quite tiresome, but the results can be interesting. You should try it once.' Percy helped Lupin to a chair. He sat down, sighing.

'What? Becoming a werewolf? Surely you are joking?'

'No, changing your mind. I am certain it would be good for you, Sev- _Admiral_.' Lupin just grinned.

He'd made the small mistake on purpose, Severus knew, and it wasn't lost on the audience. Only Oliver, however, understood the full meaning of it. He raised a questioning eyebrow. Severus shook his head, a minute movement, meant only for Captain Wood. 'Lupin, quiet! I've had enough of you-'

'Have you?' Lupin's grin was even wider now and there was an expression of mischief in his eyes. 'I don't want to make it _hard_ for you, then. Or perhaps you'd rather I did?'

Severus hid his head in his hands. 'Lupin,' he groaned before he removed the hands and looked at the man in front of him. 'Could we please talk about the bloody ship?'

Innocence. Lupin looked absolutely innocent and almost like a damned puppy. 'I thought we were?'

'Yes.' Severus snorted. 'I'm certain you did.' Severus surely had his hands full with this one. 'We are now. Have you attempted to talk to the ship since... since...'

Lupin finally took mercy. 'No. I can try? Or maybe go and read something encouraging to her? Shakespeare, for instance?' Lupin raised his hand dramatically. ' _When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: ambition should be made of sterner stuff: yet Brutus says he was ambitious; and Brutus is an honourable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal? I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?_ ' Lupin recited, exaggerating every word. 'She'd probably like that if she delights in dominance, wolves and flaming emotion.' Lupin laughed. 'Or it might just be that I like that part.'

'Right. Because the _Lupercal_ is mentioned. Not everything is about wolves, Lupin.' Severus was getting seriously irritated. Annoyed with Oliver who couldn't manage his ship, annoyed with Lupin who managed Severus far too well, and annoyed with himself, trying not to gawk at the canine _Lord Flasheart_ in front of him. Good Lord, Lupin was gorgeous. And very, very good at getting on Severus' nerves. How was it possible at all to be so attracted to somebody and hate him at the same time? 'Please try, Lupin. Can't let a perfectly good airship go to waste if there is the slightest possibility that we can use her.'

Lupin nodded. 'I'll do my best.' He sat quietly for some time, the other officers watching him in silence. Severus could feel them all, the ships, and he got the feeling that they all sensed Lupin's attempt as well. Lupin was strong, and Severus realised that being an Alpha clearly not had anything to do with mere dominance. It was a question of trust. An ability to gather a group, to encourage its members to do its best. _The power of the wolf pack_ , Severus thought. None of the other officers could talk to all the ships at once. Only Severus could—until Lupin showed up. Severus watched Lupin as he sat there, looking so relaxed, and yet he was so terribly strong behind the façade of gentle kindness. Lupin had said that Severus, too, was an Alpha; said that he'd love to fight Severus for dominance. The ability to lead the whole flock of aerostats... could it be that the ships depended on an Alpha? Severus found it likely. He'd always found it odd, this talent of his, maybe complicating things in his search for an explanation. Lupin's explanation was simple enough to actually be right.

And if it was, Severus had to take that unpleasant decision which would bring him into conflict not only with the Admiralty and the First Sea Lord Shacklebolt, but also with his own conscience and the conflicting feelings he had for Remus Lupin. He looked down at the documents in front of him. It was possible... it was actually possible, but Shacklebolt would be furious. He looked at his short list of appointments. It would be the only logical solution. The only right solution. Severus' health was deteriorating, he knew that, and if war was coming... Severus reminded himself that his decision would be made for England. Not to keep Lupin with the Navy, but because it was right for England.

' _Lykaia_. Her name is Lykaia,' Lupin said calmly, as if he'd just asked someone to pass the sugar. 'Might be why she reacts so strongly to me. Isn't _lukos_ Greek for "wolf"?'

Oliver looked as if he'd eaten a lemon. 'And you found out, just like that?' He looked questioningly at Severus. 'You believe him?'

'You should,' Lupin said,' still as calmly. 'She likes you, but what I get from her mental images, she is afraid to leave the pack, or should I say the squadron? Not easy to know precisely what aerostats want, really. She reacts strongly to group structures, it seems.' He leaned forward in the chair, slouching a bit, nonthreatening. Captain Wood's pride was at stake. 'How did you... no, _where_ did you fly with her? With the squadron or alone?'

Wood was lost in thoughts for a while, maybe trying to account for the many flights he'd made with his ship. 'Alone. Always alone.' Obviously Lupin's discovery gave Wood something to think about.

'Can you fly with her, Lupin? If Captain Wood assists you?' Severus hoped it would be possible.

'I believe so. At least she didn't give me a headache when I suggested it, so it might be all right.'

'But,' Wood protested. 'But... '

'Until she's satisfied and safe, Captain. It will be your responsibility to teach Lupin tactics and flying techniques until he is ready for his own aerostat.'

'What? Didn't you say that _Mister_ Lupin had no rank in England and therefore was nothing but a civilian? Am I to be ordered around by a civilian?' Oliver was working up a rage.

'Yes, thank you, Captain. And no, you are not.' Severus stood. He went around his desk and stepped in front of Lupin. 'Lupin, you came here, determined to stay in England, and to fight with us, if needed. Do you still wish to stay and fight?' It was important for Severus to know—only he couldn't decide whether it was for professional reasons, or private.

'Admiral? So formal?' Lupin stood too. 'Yes. I am determined to stay. I am not going back to that snake pit. My friends have fled, and as long as Bellatrix is alive, Azkaban will always be a dangerous place. The archduke is weak; if he regains his power, someone else will take over if he isn't careful. The Blacks, the Malfoys and the Lestranges... they're worse than the Borgias. Azkaban will never be a peaceful place. No, Admiral, I am not going back. England is my mother country now. I assume you understand, having made the change yourself.'

Severus liked the sound of that. It sounded like a promise. He had to admit to himself that he would feel as if he'd lost a talented leader if Lupin disappeared. To go as far as to say he'd have lost more than an ally, that was to go too far. 'Very well. As of today, Lupin, and despite all sense, you will no longer be an Azkaban rear admiral. From today you will be my vice admiral. If anything happens to me during battle, we need someone who can control the entire squadron in a difficult situation. I believe you are man enough for that. As long as England refrains from going to war during full moons, that is.'

For once, Lupin looked utterly stunned, and so did the rest of the officers. 'Vice... admiral? How...'

'No, don't thank me,' Severus said sarcastically. 'I'm only appointing you because I'd prefer not to lose Wood, who in the future will be rear admiral. And he will put up with you, until you have your own airship, Lupin. Wood will also continue as captain of Lykaia.' Noise broke loose. Congratulations and cheers filled the room. Rear Admiral Wood seemed to have thawed a bit to Lupin; Flint, on the contrary, looked decidedly sour.

Severus put a hand on Flint's shoulder. 'Quiet, Lieutenants! There will be time for parties when we return from our mission in a few days.' The noise died down. 'There will be opportunities enough to show your worth, officers. If our mission succeeds, we will have airships aplenty, we'll divide into two squadrons, and I will need yet another squadron leader, another rear admiral. Isn't that so, Lieutenant Flint?' That was as good as a promise. If they managed to liberate the Azkaban airships, Lupin would be wing leader, and Captain Flint would make an excellent second squadron leader. And Flint's promotion from lieutenant to rear admiral was well-deserved.

Flint's expression changed from gloomy to hopeful.

'Briefing is over, officers. Airborne at 2100.' Severus left his office, Percy trailing after him, to finally get a few hours of peace and quiet.

**X.**

They took off from Hull, flying inland. England lay underneath them, a vast mass of houses and roads and farms, all shrouded in the dark. The railroad lay like a silver serpent, curved around hills and churches and pretty little towns, occasionally visible when a light from a lonely automobile flashed over the tracks. The train from Hull to Manchester worked its way north as they passed over it quietly, a tiny toy sprouting steam before it disappeared into a tunnel.

They floated like whispers through the night, silver shadows in the sky, gigantic structures hiding in the clouds as they rose higher as they passed over Aberdeen to cross the North Sea. The airships were calm. They knew where they were going: it seemed as if they were satisfied with the purpose of their long journey; as if they were glad that they were put to use.

'Do you think they know, sir?' Percy offered a tray with tea and sandwiches to his master. 'That we are attempting to liberate their kin? They are awfully determined tonight.'

Severus agreed. 'I do. They like the sense of freedom. The emotions connected to what we are doing. Even Trollhammer is sated.'

'And a good thing that is.' Percy nodded. 'Being full. Take another sandwich, sir, we have a long flight to make.'

Percy went off to offer tea to Alastor, and Severus sat down, chewing vigorously on a cheese sandwich. Musing upon the other fullness he had experienced earlier, with Lupin, Severus realised that he'd gone hungry for a long while. Why was it someone as inappropriate as Remus Lupin who had finally been allowed an attempt to fill the empty void that Rodolphus' rejection had created in Severus' life? It was surprising and revolting at the same time. Rodolphus once made it clear that Severus had been little more than a convenience. Severus had refused men ever since, more or less. He had rarely revisited the memories of what had been. Love was a closed door, a dead end. As he sat with his tea, he thought back on the empty years and of what had changed now. It wasn't as if he wanted Lupin; quite the opposite. But the encounter with Lupin had made Severus realise that he had allowed Rodolphus to poison the future that came after their break. Because of Rodolphus, Severus had excluded love and family from his life. Fifteen years of abstinence, except for a few embarrassing, guilty meetings in public restrooms in London. Never another attempt to find that special person whom he'd be with for the rest of his life. Severus had not been brave enough to love again.

Severus took yet another bite of the sandwich and washed it down with tea. He knew his life was dull, monotone, lonely, but it was also safe. Then Lupin came and shook it up, upturning everything with his shape-shifting and his danger and his sharp teeth and his lovely, strong body. Severus sighed. Lupin had been... perfect. Except for being intolerably chipper, deeply annoying, social and loved and kind and everything Severus wasn't. What was wrong with the man? It wasn't _normal_ for men to walk into other peoples' lives, smile their predatory smiles and make people fall in... their trap! There was only one way out of it: he had to get rid of Lupin as soon as humanly possible. That he had just appointed the man as his vice admiral obviously complicated that manoeuvre a wee bit. Ironic, now that one thought of it.

Alastor pulled Severus out of his thoughts before he reached a solution. 'The weather is getting a bit rough.'

'Good. Do we expect it to be cloudy?' The waning moon and the clouds hopefully would make the visibility poor. The longer it took before they were discovered, the easier it would be to fulfil the mission. Severus wanted no losses. They would accomplish what could be accomplished.

'Diminished visibility over Azkaban,' Lieutenant Moody predicted. 'Nice weather for a surprise visit with the lovely Bella.'

'You are enjoying this a bit too much, Mad-Eye,' Severus said and grabbed one of the wires that hung from the ceiling as a particularly nasty gust forced the ship off course. 'I fear you!' he joked, knowing that Mad-Eye was a bit mad, but also one of the men he'd like to have at his side if it came to a battle.

'Not at all. Azkaban has been a thorn in our side for years, since that witch married the Archduke. She needs to be reminded that England is not a vassal state to Azkaban, nor will we be.'

'I don't disagree,' Snape said. 'However, before we are out for revenge, let us get some rest. Let Rosier take the wheel, just in case.' Mayalis would do fine on her own, but she would need to relax too, and for that she needed a watch officer. Elevator-man and rudder-man were ready too, so that the ship could sleep as they went.

Severus went into his cabin, a tiny, cramped room in the corridor where the steam engine lay in the middle. The only advantage it had, except for a surprisingly comfortable bed, was that it was blessedly warm. Airships in November were less than pleasant when it came to comfort. Severus hung his heavy leather coat and his uniform jacket on a peg before went to sleep, curled up underneath a pile of woollen blankets as the wind howled outside.

Percy woke him up a few miles before they entered Azkaban territory. 'Won't be long now,' Percy said, 'I have coffee ready for you, sir, if you want. Lieutenant Moody has taken over the wheel. He asked me to tell you to ask the ships to go into stealth mode.' The smell of freshly-made coffee filled the tiny cabin.

Severus laughed. 'Percy the Parrot. Tell Moody that I told you that I will tell the ships to go in hiding as soon as I've had a bit of coffee.'

Percy huffed and put down the mug of coffee on the small bedside table, none too gently. A bit of coffee sloshed over the rim; whether it was as a result of the storm or of Percy's annoyance wasn't clear. 'I am so glad to be of service,' Percy said snappily and disappeared, probably to do Severus' bidding.

Sipping the steaming hot coffee slowly, Severus prepared himself. He knew how taxing it would be to connect with all the airships at once, but it was necessary. It earned England an advantage to the Azkaban fleet, even if they did not manage to liberate the enemy ships. Severus would still know the enemy moves; just as it might confuse the Azkabanese themselves: as they had done nothing but enslaving the ships, Severus hoped that the Azkaban aerostats would willingly follow their free English cousins. If combat could be avoided, Severus would prefer that: after all they were out to prevent war, not start it.

The strong drink made Severus wide awake. He felt rested and ready. He put the cup down before he sat back in the narrow bed, blankets wrapped around him, and closed his eyes. Mayalis was with him immediately, as always. Through her, he could feel the humming of the other ships; mental machines working their way though the night. They were excited, just like the men. They knew too, what was at stake, Severus was sure of it. Maybe the aerostats could feel the presence of their Azkaban kin, feel the pain of the enslaved ships. Severus feared the moment when they were close enough for him to feel them too. He had learnt the hard way how to treat the sensitive beings. There was no other way to see them than as sentient beings. They were machines, yes, but not just heaps of iron and brass. They had a mind of their own. Whether it was primitive or highly developed, depended, Severus thought, of one's point of view.

Severus let Mayalis feed on his anxiety and worry. It eased his mind to know that his strong feelings were put to use. Lost deeply in his thoughts, he sent out an image for the ships: seven ships on the dark sky, disappearing as they all changed colour, becoming one with the night and the stars. Right now the other crews would be turning off lanterns and cabin lights: they would be flying in in total darkness as not to alert the Azkabanese. If they were lucky, their presence would stay unrecognised. Severus knew Bellatrix Black well enough to know that her arrogance might make her oblivious to the fact that England could and would react before she was ready to go to war. The greatest risk would be their attempt to free the prisoners in the oubliette - Severus, together with Percy, Lupin, Flint and Wood, would be risking their lives for England and for the freedom for those who had dared stand up to the usurper. Moody and Charlie Weasley would be staying above ground with the ships, ensuring their escape if necessary. Weasley's trusty Dragonslayer would be their lifeline: none of the other ships where as quick and as cooperative as Charlie's.

The English aerostats were definitely ready, whether they were going to battle or not. Now it was time to take on the difficult part. Severus pulled off the blankets, deciding it would be better to go look for Percy. If the Azkaban ships refused him, Severus knew he would need help. He did not look forward to the migraine even the mere attempt would give him. He walked down the corridor, shrouded in darkness. Only the stars and the light from the waning moon provided light enough for Severus to see where he was going.

'Percy?' Severus stepped up to the bridge. 'It's time.'

'Yes, sir.' Dark shadows moved; dark grey against black, but Percy's support felt as it always did: a steady arm for Severus to hold on to. 'Ready, sir?'

Nodding without realising that Percy could not see it, Severus took a deep breath. At first he let his mind stray, picking up the tension and excitement from his own squadron. He could feel them: this time they were not feeding upon his thoughts, but aiding them. Severus had never felt that way before. His mind and his thoughts were almost carried forth with an ease that made it more a pleasure than an effort. _We're here_ , he sent forth. _To free you_.

Silence.

From somewhere far away Severus picked up a screeching noise, the impression of a small animal caught in a trap. He tried again, and this time it was clearer: fear, anger, terror, pain. Severus reached for Percy's shoulder to be able to stand through the stream of horror that reached him from far away. He didn't dare think about how it would feel when they came closer. Not knowing whether Lupin felt it too, Severus braced himself and urged Mayalis to help calm the foreign ships down. 'It's awful,' was all he could say to Percy. 'Awful. They are nothing but downtrodden slaves.'

He could think of nothing else than to wake the ships. He reached for a small book hidden in his pocket. He opened it. 'The spirit of the resistance penetrates the workers,' he began reading, standing straight, staring out into the night. ' _The bitterness intensifies and soon a slight impulse will suffice to set the avalanche into motion._ ' In Severus' mind there was silence, as if the ships out there were listening. He took a deep breath, adding to the reading his own empathy for the suppressed and powerless: ' _Then indeed, will the war-cry resound through the land: War to the palaces! Peace to the cottages!_ ' Severus almost shouted the last words, wanting the Azkaban ships to react, to cast of the yoke that was laid upon them as they were enslaved. ' _War to the palaces!_ ' he shouted again, trying with all his might to awaken the aerostats. He could feel the squadron with him, ships and men alike; they were supporting him, showing the Azkaban aerostats how glorious freedom would be.

'Percy...' Severus' knees couldn't hold him. The rage was like a wave that swept the silence away; a flood that finally let loose its powers. 'Christ Almighty!' The Azkaban ships were awake now, and Severus knew instantly that he had them on their side. 'Help me stand,' he managed, clutching Percy's arm. 'Officers! We have a fleet to liberate!'

Under them the sea roared; two monsters fighting, sea and rock. The crests of the waves tore and bit into the sharp-toothed rocks that surrounded Azkaban Island. The sea seemed to sneer at the ships, too, envying them their smooth sailing, riding the storm high above the North Sea. Severus stood at the bridge, watching the tiny pinpoints of lights from houses and factories; from the streets and the shops. Although Azkaban was sleeping, nobody had turned the light off: Azkaban or England, people were worried about the bad weather. 'Can't get their fighters up in this wind,' Severus said, knowing that the English ships would have the airspace to themselves. 'Our troubles start below.' Mayalis held a steady course, despite the storm, heading directly for Azkaban Castle. It was a risk to take, to chance their luck on the assumption that Sirius Black had been right: that Prince Rabastan and Draco Malfoy were thrown into the oubliette with Rodolphus.

The castle towered like an eagle, clinging to the highest point of the grey Azkaban rocks. The spires reached upwards; lead-clad claws aiming for the sky, as if to tear at it. Golden-eyed windows stared blindly into the night, leaving little angular spots of light on the dark granite. Below it, the Azkaban armed forces had its quarters. Hangars and barracks spread out on the barren ground below the castle. One with the night, the English aerostats descended, leaving Weasley and Krum up there, in the sky, with Captain Johnson's _Thestral_ and Bell's _Jewel_ , ready to either join the fight, or cover their retreat. Severus hoped for the latter.

Armed with Spinners and Stingers, Severus and Percy hurried down the ladders that were lowered, their bottom rung a foot above the ground. 'Keep them there,' Severus ordered, looking up, knowing that Alastor was there, invisible as he stood there in the dark gondola. 'Be ready to take off immediately.' Severus was stating the obvious, but it made him feel better. The moon cast a pale light on Azkaban, barely enough for Severus and Percy to see other shapes moving. Wood and Flint, judging from their size. 'Lupin?' Severus asked as soon as he got closer.

'The oubliette. He said he could smell them. Wanted to be certain before we move in.' Wood held a nasty-looking Stinger in one hand, the pointy, poisonous tail of the weapon was moving by its own volition, as if it could sense the enemy.

'Good.' Werewolves might be annoying, but they seemed to have their uses at times like these. 'This way,' Severus said and went on. He knew every inch of the island and could find his way easily, even in the dark. 'Nothing has changed here,' he told Percy. 'Conservative, the Azkabanese.' Although Severus set foot on Azkaban soil for the first time since the day he left Rodolphus' wedding, he no longer felt Azkabanese. He was English, and he was proud of it.

Severus led his small band of officers to the foot of the castle. They followed the paved footpath that led them through the jumble of rocks and withered trees.

'They're here,' Lupin said in a low voice as they came nearer. 'They're probably alive. Can't guarantee it, though.' Lupin held a crowbar in one hand. 'Not too careful with their locks—or their backs.' There was a man lying at Lupin's feet, unconscious. A guard. Lupin bent down and pulled open a hatch in the heavy iron grate that covered the oubliette's mound. 'Particularly nasty idea, this.'

'That oubliette... What does it do?' Wood began as he began strapping on a harness, tying the end of a rope to it.

'They're thrown into it from up here,' Lupin said. 'Prisoners. Just one big stone chamber perhaps twenty-five feet deep. If they don't die from the fall, they are left here to die from cold or starvation. Usually, this is not imprisonment, but a death sentence. Not much of a cover for bad weather, this, either.' Lupin rapped at the grate with the coil of rope he was holding. 'Enough rain, and they'll drown. High tide, and they'll drown fast. That's the merciful way to leave this contraption, drowning. And no one has ever left this place alive before. Not to say if that habit is going to change.'

'Lovely place, this,' Flint growled. 'And charming people, the Azkabanese. Now, let's get on with it and get out of here before I begin to feel like going to war.'

Severus couldn't argue against that. 'Lupin, you know your mission. The airfield. Free as many ships as possible, and get out with Lykaia. I'll take Wood with me, if we cannot make it back to her. Just remember that I'll make you wish that you'd jumped into the oubliette willingly if you turn out to be a traitor!'

'Aye Capt'n.' Lupin said, suddenly standing next to Severus, making him startle. The man moved with preternatural speed! 'Be a traitor and never get the chance to kiss you again? I think not,' Lupin whispered into Severus' ear, hot lips against cold skin. Then he disappeared into the dark.

Severus was stunned for a few seconds before he was able to control himself enough to speak. He didn't have time for this, and he'd personally make Lupin regret his shocking behaviour later. 'Wood, you go first,' Severus managed. 'Find out who's down there, and how many are still... How many we need to pull up. Take somebody up with you, if you can, Wood. Flint, ready?'

'Oh, yeah.' Flint caught the other end of the rope Wood threw him, and he wound it around one of the bars of the grate, before he pulled it over his back and around his arm. Flint's muscular arms and shoulders made an impressive silhouette against the castle's sand-grey wall. 'Let's be quick. Don't want to end my days here. Disgustingly boring place,' Flint said and helped Wood down into the darkness below them.

The wind ripped their voices into pieces, and if Wood was shouting anything intelligible the words were fragmented. From beneath the black hell before their feet Oliver yanked the rope twice, signalling that they he wanted Flint to pull him up. There was nothing to see; the world above the abyss was almost as black, and only Flint's groans indicated that Oliver had either gained weight, or he had brought with him one of the prisoners. A cloud was pushed aside by the storm; the moon shone clearly long enough for Severus to see the silvery glints of blond hair. 'Draco! Draco?'

Severus and Percy helped Wood and the man he was carrying through the hatch. 'Uncle Severus? It can't be? Tell me I'm not dreaming!'

Severus didn't manage to reply before Draco's arms were around him and he was hugged fiercely by a slender man who, even in the weak light from the moon, looked remarkably like his beautiful father, Severus' life-long friend Count Lucius. 'You're not dreaming. But we have to be quick, go with Percy; we are taking you away from Azkaban. Explanations later.'

'I think my ankle is broken,' Draco Malfoy said. 'But I'm so cold I really can't tell.'

Percy was at Malfoy's side instantly. He pulled off his leather coat and wrapped it around Malfoy's shoulders. 'Had I known I'd be riddled with yet another fragile Azkabanese, I'd have stayed in England and let somebody else do the hard work,' Percy murmured, mostly from habit, as he mollycoddled Draco Malfoy in a way that contradicted the harsh words. 'Here, I'll help you.' The pair hobbled towards the nearest ship.

Oliver looked ill. 'The floor is littered with bones,' he said. 'How long...'

'Since before the Middle ages,' Severus said. 'Don't think the servants do much cleaning down there. The service is probably rubbish.'

'There are two men, alive.' Oliver examined the rope and he tied the knots even tighter. 'The Archduke and his brother. What are your orders, sir?'

'Captain Flint, are you able to hold us if we both go down?'

Flint just laughed.

'I assume that was a yes. Wood, lead the way.' Severus, too, made sure that the harness and the ropes were secured. He certainly had no intentions of ending up on the bottom of the pit with a broken ankle, or worse, a broken neck.

'I wish we were able to use lanterns,' Wood said as he disappeared into the dark. 'Then again, I think I prefer not to actually see what's down there.'

Severus couldn't agree more. There were sights which were too unpleasant. The picked bones of centuries of victims were one of them.

'Hurry. We don't have much time.' Wood's voice sounded small and weak, as if the oubliette was trying to absorb it. 'Find the wall and follow it until you reach me,' he instructed. 'Prince Rabastan, if you don't mind?'

A soft laughter tinged with a nip of despair and panic sounded in the emptiness. 'My hero, whoever you are! I don't think I mind in any way imaginable.' Bones broke like dry leaves as the prince made his way to the wall. 'Brother,' he said, and this time the panic was evident. 'When you are rid of that insane bint you married, do promise me that you will stop this appalling way of discarding your enemies.'

'Captain Wood, Rear Admiral in the English Navy and Airfleet,' Wood said.

'Captain Wood, I owe you, if not my life, then just about anything else you might wish from me.'

'Nice, but let's get out of here before we get to that,' Oliver said. 'Not particularly interested in staying to meet your sister-in-law and her army.'

More bones broke as Severus reached the bottom of the oubliette. 'Rodolphus?'

'No!' There was a pause as the Archduke moved, swearing as he, too, moved towards the circular wall. 'It can't be?'

At least he wasn't forgotten. 'Should I be flattered that you remember me after so many years, Rodolphus?'

'Severus, I—'

More moving around.

'Oh, disgusting!' Rodolphus seemed to have stepped in something unfortunate. A smell of rot and death spread in the small pit.

'Up, now, Flint!' Wood sounded as if he was gagging. There was some scratching as Flint began to pull Oliver and Rabastan up. 'Faster!

A hand touched Severus' shoulder. It brushed over his neck and stopped as cold fingers reached his cheek, searchingly. 'It is you. Severus... How... More than ten years, and not a word. I know this is not the place, but God, I have missed you.'

Severus' face contracted in an invisible expression of disgust. 'Fifteen years I was with you, and the only words I deserved were _I am going to marry, bugger off, you're inconvenient._ I missed you too, Rodolphus, and it did me no good. I missed you for a decade, and all you wanted was _her_.'

'And yet you are here to save me.' Rodolphus' fingers moved, an icy touch on Severus' cheek. 'And I can promise you that I do not want her back, my loving and oh, so treacherous wife.'

Ignoring Rodolphus words, Severus strapped the harness around Rodolphus and tied it to his own. It wouldn't do to have worked so hard and then lose the man in the attempt to free him. 'Ready!' Severus shouted, hoping Flint would hear. He pulled the rope. They needed to get out of here now. 'Wrap your arms around me,' he demanded, fearing the moment where he would be in Rodolphus' arms. A decade, and the loss was still painful. 'Touch me in any inappropriate way, and I'll drop you,' he warned the Archduke. 'And don't even consider testing me.'

'Leave it to Severus Snape to turn a rescue mission into an argument.' Rodolphus sounded as if he was smiling. 'Thank you, Severus. As Rabastan told your captain, I, too, owe my life to my rescuer. As soon as I have rid the world of the Archduchess, I will give you anything you want. Anything, Severus.' Rodolphus groaned as he was pulled up against the slimy, coarse stone wall. 'I swear to you.'

It was tempting. Severus tried to think of the rotting corpses and the icy wind as they were pulled out of the oubliette, excruciatingly slow. Oh, God Almighty, it was tempting. To finally have what he had longed for; the recognition, the life he had wanted since he was young: a life with the man he loved. Suddenly and unbidden, the image of another man, a lean, dominant, infuriating man, flashed through Severus' mind. 'Will you?' he asked softly. 'I doubt it.'

'Oi!, Admiral!' Flint reached down and got a hold of the Archduke. 'Give me a hand here!'

Severus grabbed one of the bars of the grate and helped Flint pull them through the hatch and into safety. Relative safety, that was. Quickly they disentangled themselves from the harnesses, but Rodolphus grabbed Severus again and did not let go. His arms were around Severus' waist, holding him tight. In the dim light, Severus saw his former lover for the first time in more than fifteen years. He looked the same. Flint's existence didn't bother Rodolphus it seemed, or perhaps he just ignored his subjects and other inconveniences, still.

'Thank you, Severus.' Rodolphus' voice was caressing, flirting. 'I am happy that it was you... Now we just need to take back my throne, and we will both rule. I will take you as my consort, and you will sit on my left hand-'

'I will?' Severus asked, both severely surprised and rather offended that Rodolphus still saw him as a young boy he could do with as he pleased, not to speak of the fact that a suggestion of being married to the Archduke's left hand was a grave insult. There had been a time where it would not have bothered Severus the way it did now. 'And what makes you so sure?'

'This,' Rodolphus said and kissed Severus, surprisingly, deeply, convincingly, a deep, intimate, knowing kiss that awoke all Severus' repressed feelings. For a few seconds he could do nothing but to reciprocate; they had shared so many kisses that it was almost instinctive the way he reacted to Rodolphus. For a few delightful seconds Severus forgot about his rank, his country, his pride. He forgot what Rodolphus had done to him. He forgot everything in that glorious moment where all his dreams came true. He would be Prince Severus, and this minute distinction of left and right did not matter.

Then words he had heard somewhere else echoed in his mind. Azkaban will always be a dangerous place. _The archduke is weak; if he regains his power, someone else will take over if he isn't careful. The Blacks, the Malfoys and the Lestranges... they're worse than the Borgias. Azkaban will never be a peaceful place. I am not going back. England is my mother country now. I assume you understand, having made the change yourself._ Lupin. Lupin had been right. Lupin was right. Rodolphus was weak and without power, and this attempt at winning Severus over was merely manipulation so that Rodolphus could have the English at his beck and call.

Severus withdrew from the kiss, pushing Rodolphus away. Yes, Lupin was not only right, but he was right there, in Severus' mind, his equal, his enemy, his opponent. With Lupin everything became so harsh and sharp and _honest_ : love, hate, life, death. 'No,' he said quietly. 'No, Rodolphus. Never again. Find another little boy to play your games with, I am not your catamite. I am not your toy. I am an admiral of the Royal English Navy, I am an Englishman. You, Archduke, you are _nothing_ to me.' Severus grabbed one of Rodolphus' wrists and almost violently removed the arm from his waist. 'If it pleases your Royal Highness, England offers asylum if you wish to relocate.' Severus bowed stiffly, his emotions were raging, but it was not Rodolphus who was the cause of it.

'Sir, could we get on with it,' Flint growled. 'I can't say how much I appreciate this little educative moment; but there are perhaps ten gentlemen in uniforms on their way down here and if I'm not mistaken they are soldiers. An educated guess is that it is the castle guard.'

Severus turned, trying to make sense of the shapes that moved in the dark. In the moonshine drawn swords were visible. Soldiers, indeed. 'Flee or fight?'

'Englishmen are no cowards,' Flint said and whipped out the Stinger. The long, scaly whip shone in the pale light, seven feet of sharp metal barbs. Its tail was dripping with poison. The scorpion-shaped handle clung to Flint's hand with spindly, scaled legs.

This is _my_ country,' Rodolphus hissed. 'I am never going to leave! Hand me a weapon.'

Severus threw him a Spinner. 'Careful not to touch the thread on the spindle, Your Highness. Unless you want to die prematurely, that is.' Severus drew his stinger, ready for combat. The soldiers marched on, ant-like in their determination.

'What's going on here?' Their captain held a nasty-looking sabre in his right hand and a dagger in the other. 'Names?'

'Archduke Rodolphus of Azkaban.' Rodolphus stepped forward.

Severus stepped up to him, flicking the stinger. 'And _I_ am Severus Snape, Admiral of the Royal English Navy, Commander of the English Airfleet, out to rescue your regent.'

'And your name, soldier?' Rodolphus showed uncharacteristic courage, standing tall and calm in front of the soldiers.

The captain knelt. 'Your Royal Highness! We thought... The Archduchess told us you were dead. That Count Sirius and the young master Regulus and their werewolf friend killed you, then fled to England! Forgive us!' The soldier turned around. 'Kneel, damned dogs,' he shouted at his men. 'It's the Archduke.'

'Are you good men and true?' Rodolphus had regained his superior attitude. Pretty impressive coming from one who'd sat three days on a pile of rotting corpses. 'Are you faithful to the true ruler and to Azkaban?'

'Yes, Your Royal Highness!'

'And the rest of the guard? They are loyal to me?'

'We are mourning your death, Your Royal Highness. Nobody knew that you... were you thrown into... that?' The officer pointed at the hole in the rocks. 'The oubliette. We are true to you, Your Highness!'

'My loving wife found that she would rather rule Azkaban herself. What a disappointment that would be to her that she cannot.' Rodolphus turned and looked at Severus. 'I assume that I have my soon to be former cousin-in-law to thank for the intelligence report that brought you here, then?

'Who threw you into the oubliette? Those men knew that the Black woman is a usurper.' Flint prodded with the tip of his boot at the unconscious guard at his feet. 'This one, at least.'

The captain stood. 'That is one of the Archduchess's-' He shut his mouth, as if he'd said too much.

'Yes?'

'It's her lover. Tom Riddle. He's a commoner. I'm sorry, Your Highness, but the castle guards all knew about the affair. They've been meeting in secret. But I will personally weed out those of our soldiers who joined the traitor Bellatrix Black in this, if you will allow me the honour of ridding the island of them?'

Severus wasn't surprised. Bellatrix Black had always been spoiled, taken what she wanted, and discarded what she found boring. Severus couldn't keep quiet. 'Maybe you are not as charming as you thought you were, Rodolphus, love. Being a cuckold doesn't feel as entertaining seen from the wrong side of things.' He should have known better than to goad Rodolphus, but it was so tempting to return a flicker of the pain of rejection that Severus had lived through. But Severus knew Rodolphus well enough not to provoke the man. He knew every arrogant, proud, self-satisfied inch of him. He should have known. A rabid dog with a mental disorder would be more reliable than an annoyed archduke. Hell, a werewolf would be more reliable. There and then, Severus realised he wanted Lupin at his side.

Rodolphus certainly did not find Severus' comments flattering. 'I find your trite comments less than entertaining, Mr Snape,' Rodolphus said. 'In fact, I find them treacherous.' Rodolphus' voice was angry, as if he was on the verge of losing his temper, but Severus could not see his expression clearly in the dark. 'What I would find entertaining is perhaps to leave you and your friend here in the oubliette,' the Archduke continued. 'I am certain that you and your fellow here will enjoy Bella's company for a few days or weeks. The weather is not too promising, though.' Rodolphus turned to his guard. 'Captain, arrest these men.'

Severus stepped closer to Flint. 'And I recall an Archduke who promised me that he would honour any wish I might have for helping him escape. Are you telling me that your honour is worth nothing, Rodolphus? Is your word worthless?' Severus found Flint's arm and gave it a push, as if to tell him to be ready to escape. Severus eased a bit to the right. If they were able to get to the other side of the oubliette, they could avoid the soldiers and get to the footpath that led to the ships. Despite their better weapons, they couldn't take down ten armed men. Escape was better. Severus concentrated and connected with Mayalis, trying to convey the message that they were in danger. He hoped it was enough to ensure that the airships were ready to take off. Severus' words seemed to have the intended effect on the Archduke. Honour was indeed important to the old families, and Rodolphus had violated that code, or rather he was stepping dangerously close to the lines.

'Flint,' Severus said quietly, hoping that the storm would cover his orders. 'Run for the ships. Now!' They both managed to surprise the guards, giving them a head-start. 'Run, Flint!' Severus cried again, and sprinted as fast as he could towards the place where he had left Mayalis. The wind howled and sea and night seemed to become one, making the distance they had to run endless. Behind them, the guards came charging, their shouts were carried with the wind.

'To Mayalis,' Flint cried. 'Trollhammer can make it on his own. I can fly with him from Mayalis!'

That was good thinking. Mayalis was closer and she was fast, faster than Trollhammer. Severus didn't care whether Rodolphus was suffering from momentary insanity or not; all he knew was that the sooner they got out of Azkaban territory, the better. Knowing Rodolphus, Severus assumed that he would probably regret his outburst tomorrow, when he'd had time to think about which reputation the arbitrary execution of two English officers would give the Archduke of Azkaban. It would certainly not endear him to many of the neighbouring countries and their sovereigns. But then it might be too late.

They reached the ships which still hovered patiently, waiting for their captains. 'Sub-Lieutenant Lovegood! Take Trollhammer up!' Flint yelled. Mayalis was closer, as usual positioning herself so that her passengers had easy access. Flint helped Severus up the ladder before he climbed up himself. 'Away!' Flint shouted, even before he was inside the gondola. And it was due time. The first castle guard came running and almost managed to get a hold of Flint's trunk-sized leg. It earned him a kick in the face. A dark shape lay sprawling on the ground, screaming, as Mayalis took off and soared upwards, towards the moon and the sky and safety.

'Good Lord, that was close.' Flint was shaken. He slid down to sit on the floor. 'Admiral, could I please be forewarned next time you are out to revenge yourself for love scorned?' The huge man pulled out a pristine white handkerchief and dabbed his face with it. 'That was an interesting experience, sir.'

Percy came running. 'Admiral, sir, are you well? And you, sir?' Percy looked, baffled, at Lieutenant Flint. 'Do you need anything, sir?'

'Tell Moody to get us out of Azkaban territory before we have their fighters on our tails. It'll be madness to send them up, but when we left the Archduke, he was a bit cross with me. It might cloud his judgement a wee bit.'

'Like when he tried to arrest his saviour?' Flint laughed. 'Mental, if you ask me.'

'I don't,' Severus huffed. 'Captain Flint, concentrate on your ship, please. We cannot have Lovegood getting in trouble with Trollhammer.'

'My rudder-woman does not get in trouble, sir,' Flint said. 'Knowing Lovegood, she'll drive Trollhammer mad before we're half-way to Hull—not the other way around. He doesn't have what it takes to mess with her.' Flint stood as Mayalis levelled out after her steep climb through the storm. 'As long as I'm close, she'll fly with him fine.'

Percy returned to them. 'I have tea in the mess, sir. If—'

They went into the small officers' mess. Severus slid into one of the upholstered chairs, relieved. They were alive, they'd managed to free the prisoners and the-

'The airships,' Severus said quietly. 'Lupin.'

'Yes?' Flint looked searchingly at his superior.

'I can't feel them.' Severus could feel his heart beat uncomfortably hard in his chest. 'Wait,' he said, trying to concentrate. He closed his eyes and searched for the ships. First Trollhammer who followed them like a puppy would his mother. There were Dragonslayer, Krum's Pride of Bulgaria, Bell's Jewel and Johnson's Thestral. Lykaia was a further away, but calm, flying willingly in Wood's care.

And behind them: emptiness.

'Lupin,' Flint said, just as quietly. 'He could be on one of the other ships.'

He had made a mistake. He knew it. He just didn't know which one. Either Lupin had run back to his master like the tail-wagging lapdog he was, or Severus had left a man behind enemy lines. Severus sat passively as Percy poured tea for them. No matter how one looked at it, Severus had made a severe mistake, an error of judgement so fatal that he had no idea how to explain it to Flint, or to anyone else, for that matter. 'I'm sure the Admiralty will appreciate this,' Severus said. 'After they've kicked me down in the ranks.'

'Sir, don't be so hard on yourself. It was Vice-Admiral Lupin's responsibility to ensure an escape route.'

'We left a man, Lieutenant Flint. Lupin was my responsibility. We need him.' Severus had the dawning feeling that it was more "I" than "we". He didn't really understand it, because Lupin was not exactly what Severus had wanted in a man (or wolf) but as his anxiety rose, it did not seem to matter. Flint must have sensed it. He looked at Severus, his brow furrowing, as if the process of deep thought was a bit much for him.

'I'm sorry to bring it up, Admiral. But I couldn't avoid hearing what the Archduke said to you.' Flint looked apologetic. 'Lupin... is he... erm... Are you...'

'I don't know.' Severus sighed and rubbed his face. His headaches were returning. 'If you are asking me if he is my lover, the answer is no. If you ask whether I would like him to be, the answer might be a different one. If only I knew myself.' Severus took a deep drink of his tea. It smelled slightly of bergamotte and jasmine. 'I'll ask you not to discuss this with anyone, Lieutenant. It is still an offence in this country to be... intimate with men.'

'Of course, sir. Me and Oliver, we did it a few times, just for curiosity's sake. Me, that is. Wood's like you. He only fucks men. A Uranist or what they call it. He told me you knew. Otherwise I wouldn't have asked. And I wouldn't be surprised if that steward of yours is inclined in that direction too. He looks at you as if you were the second coming of Christ.'

At any other time, Severus would have used some time musing over the fact that the Navy seemed to attract queer men. But right now he couldn't care less. Missions were dangerous and it would not be the first time they'd lost a man. But why Lupin, why now?

'Please make a signal to the other airships.' Severus clung to the last scraps of his torn hope. 'Ask if they have Lupin on board.'

As it were, none of them had.

Lupin was lost, and so was Severus.

**XI.**

The morning came as the English airships flew over Hull; a bright, lovely Autumn morning. The storm had died down and left the sky blue and freshly laundered, clear blue and pink as the sun rose. Severus had slept but little during the flight. He got up from his narrow cot to be with Mayalis as she approached the airbase. Standing on the bridge, unable to enjoy the victory and the wonderful day, Severus' mood was as gloomy as the day was light.

Severus should have been pleased as he, as the fleet's commander saw his ships fly in over the airfield: large, grey creatures glittering in the clear sun. All unharmed, all working together, men and ships. What Severus had attempted he had accomplished. These elephants of the air were free, liberated from serfdom. But all Severus thought of was the ships they had left behind in slavery, of the man who was lost.

'Sir?' Percy offered Severus his heavy leather coat. 'If I may, I will assist Count Malfoy when we land. He needs a doctor. Lieutenant Moody has given him something for the pain, but...'

'Yes, yes.' Severus waved Percy away. It earned him a glare from the young man, but Severus was too cold to care. Even his trusty steward seemed to have other interests now. Severus felt very alone that instant. Everything had suddenly lost its meaning. Mayalis sensed his sadness. She put them down, right outside the Officers' Quarters, and Severus was glad. He wanted to be alone for a while, before he went back and celebrated with his men. Right now he couldn't muster energy enough to even pretend to be glad their mission was a relative success. He climbed down the ladder, wondering whether it would be possible to go back and rescue Lupin and re-liberate the Azkaban aerostats.

Behind Mayalis, Trollhammer and Dragonslayer landed, followed by Lykaia. The fighter pilots from the airbase were awakening; a few of them stood, dressed in odd bit and pieces of pyjamas, coats and leather jackets, watching their Navy colleagues return. Severus wanted to get away. To have just half an hour to himself where he could think things over. To consider how ironical and cruel life could be. He turned to walk away, as not to ruin the moment for his men.

'Admiral Snape! Wait!' Captain Wood jumped down from Lykaia's gondola without even touching the ladder, a wide smile on his face. 'Admiral!'

He owed this to Captain Wood. He owed him the recognition and the praise, and there was little in the world Severus cared less about that moment. He took a second to find an expression that wouldn't reveal his foul mood. He changed direction and instead of walking towards his own large red brick house, he walked back to the ships.

Wood helped their other escapees down. The airship ladders were not very reliable. Despite the harsh treatment and three days in the oubliette, Prince Rabastan looked like, well, a prince. As Severus approached, Rabastan sent him a charming smile. 'Severus! I understand that you are the reason I was found in that awfully dank place by this gorgeous young captain.' Rabastan Lestrange's hand rested on Oliver's Wood's shoulder. Wood, too, might have forgotten decent behaviour: his arm was wound tight around the prince's waist and little indication that he wanted to let go any time soon. 'You must assign Captain Wood as my personal attendant! I am gravely injured.'

'You are?' Severus raised an eyebrow, creating a black curve of disbelief on his brow. 'You look well enough to me, if a bit grubby at the edges.' Despite his sadness and the deep melancholy that he had fallen into, Severus couldn't stop himself from smiling. Rabastan was incorrigible. 'We do not flaunt it here, in England,' Severus said and nodded in Wood's direction. 'Do not ruin his career, Rabastan. Wood's a Rear Admiral and the captain of the Lykaia. He does not have time to take care of a spoiled Azkabanese brat like you.'

'Is that a challenge, Severus Snape?' Rabastan smiled an arrogant smile that made him resemble his brother.

'Don't, Rabastan. You're an exile, unless you want to go back to your insane sister-in-law and your useless big brother.'

'Absolutely no intention of doing that.' Again Rabastan almost devoured Oliver with hungry eyes. 'Strange how priorities can change after a few days in a black pit. That was three days to many with my beloved brother, I tell you.' He suddenly sounded serious. 'And perhaps I should just let that happy fate rule that sent you my way, dear Severus. A fate that might be more tolerable now.' Rabastan sent Captain Wood yet another heated glance.

'Oh, don't give me that nonsense. Next time you're sprouting some romantic rubbish about love at first sight.' Severus had used enough time on horny idiots.

Wood coughed loudly and murmured something. It sounded remarkably as if he'd said, 'And who fell in love with Lupin ten seconds into their first meeting.' Severus chose to ignore it entirely, mostly because it was true. There was no reason to give Rabastan any arguments to further his case.

'Lupin didn't make it back,' Severus said coldly and saying the words made Lupin's disappearance too real. Severus stood there in the early morning, with the sun and sky shining and glittering and felt dread and despair washing over him; a tidal wave of sorrow. 'It's my fault.' Wood made a movement as if to comfort his superior, but Severus did not want comfort or solace. He wanted to soak in guilt and loss. 'No. Don't.' There were too many feelings, too many conflicts and Severus had had it with the world in general for the day. He walked away without a word, finally heading towards the relative peace he could find in his own house.

It was a mistake to go home. The bed smelled of Lupin, a green, spicy scent, and of the sex they'd had. There was no peace there, only memories of a heated embrace, of Lupin's delightful kisses. Severus cuddled up in a corner of the bed, his head buried in the duvet, as if it was possible to recreate Lupin in that way. Sorrow overshadowed everything. How cruel fate could be, finally granting Severus freedom from the unrequited love he had held for Rodolphus by letting him fall for yet another man who'd be outside his reach. Whether Lupin was dead or held prisoner, there was little chance that Severus would see him again. A rescue mission was doomed beforehand: Azkaban would be ready, and ready for war, if they came back, Severus knew.

Time passed by, and Severus couldn't care less. Percy, too, came by, and Severus sent him away. He didn't need any care. He didn't need food. He just needed Lupin. Severus could even live with a triumphant Lupin who'd probably tell Severus I told you so, that he'd known that Severus would change his mind, but that'd be fine. Fine. As long as Severus could have that annoyingly happy idiot in his life, he'd brave whatever life sent his way.

But it was too late.

Exhausted, Severus fell asleep, a few hours of blessed peace. He woke at sunset, rested but numb; as if his heart had stopped working and that he somehow just kept on breathing and living. He needed to get up, he owed to his officers to participate in their celebration. He had responsibilities to attend to: it was unacceptable that he, and admiral of the fleet, lay here like a besotted schoolboy, mourning his lost love. Not for the first time, Severus considered whether he was actually cut out to lead the Airship fleet. He could not let love cloud his judgement, and he had allowed it to do exactly that.

Reluctantly he left the bed. He summoned Percy, demanding food and a bath.

'Sir?' Percy began. 'Are you-'

'No, I am not. Thank you, Percy, you may go.' Severus dismissed his steward. Any tenderness would make it worse. He had no use for compassion. He dressed by himself, pulling on a thick woollen coat over his uniform. He was freezing. It didn't help. The coldness came from inside. Looking out the window at the rose sky, Severus readied himself for a few hours of perfect acting. He could do it. He could play the sensible admiral for the night. Determinedly he walked out the door, across the airfield towards the officers' mess. He didn't look north. He'd never want to again.

Only he couldn't stop himself. Perhaps it was hope that made him turn to watch the northern sky that had already darkened. He looked at the few clouds and behind them, little clear stars had already come out, shining silvery against the dark blue. One star moved and Severus wanted to make a wish, but he had never believed in such nonsense. Then another star moved, as if to mock him, and a third. Then Severus realised that they all moved: a star fleet made up of a dozen falling stars.

Then he realised what it was he was seeing! 'Percy! Percy! Wood!' Severus turned around and ran, faster than he ever ran before. He pulled open the door to the officers' mass. 'The airships! The airships are coming!' he shouted, filled by a fire of hope. 'Everybody out and ready to take off! Alert the fighter squadron!' There was a risk that it was an attack, but Severus had a feeling that it wasn't. He didn't dare voice his hopes yet, but, oh, he knew deep down! He knew!

His men were ready almost before Severus reached the centre of the airfield, running almost as fast as before. The field was buzzing with activity. Down by the hangars the fighter planes were snarling their aggressive roars as their pilots readied themselves for a rendez-vous with a potential enemy. A plane took off to take a view of the incoming squadron. Severus couldn't look away. He stood there, watching the ships come closer. If hope created miracles, this miracle would certainly happen. Severus took a deep breath, wanting to confirm that miracles did happen. He sent his thoughts out, searching for the foreign ships, hoping that he would reach them, despite the distance.

A small smile spread on Severus' face. It was a smile of joy and relief, perhaps created by the joy the ships themselves felt. Severus could feel them rejoice in the freedom they had been offered: twelve beings set free of their bleak destiny.

Percy and Rabastan came running. 'That's your Lupin?' Rabastan asked, smiling too. 'Quite the entrepreneurial type, isn't he? I think those ships might belong to my brother. Good work!' Rabastan regarded Severus with some curiosity. 'I've never seen you look so happy,' he said in a more serious tone of voice. He, too, went to look at the sky. 'More than ten years with Rodolphus, and he never managed to make you look like this.'

'I never realised that there is a difference between infatuation and... this.'

'He challenges you instead of trying to rule you? Is that it?'

'Yeah,' Severus said, knowing that Rabastan was right. 'That is exactly it.'

Above them the fighter plane signalled, tipping its wings, that there was no imminent threat. Severus let out a relieved sigh. The airships approached, all hovering quietly over the airfield. One ship made a quick descent. Wood, Charlie Weasley and Flint who had all seen the fighter's signal joined Severus. 'It seems we may need not only one, but two new squadron leaders,' Severus noted. 'Rear Admiral Flint, Rear Admiral Weasley. Congratulations.'

They watched in anticipation as the airship landed. 'Admiral, I assume you would like a few minutes of... well, a private moment with Vice-Admiral Lupin?' Flint grinned wickedly. He put his hands in his pockets and winked at Wood. 'Your Highness, perhaps we should leave?' Flint suggested to Prince Rabastan.

Severus saw nothing but the ship. It was as if time stretched out indefinitely, slow, without progress. Finally a tall man swung a pair of lean legs over the gondola's side, ignoring the ladder. The wolf fur coat billowed as the man jumped the few feet to the ground.

Relief! Severus' anxiety rapidly grew into a mix of anger and need. 'Lupin, you damned fool! Where the bloody hell have you been!' Severus growled as he approached.

Lupin's smile was open and sweet. 'Sorry it took me so long. It's a bit much when so many ships need guidance at the same time. They're not in shape. If you can call it that. Crippled airships, poor things.'

Right there, Severus couldn't care less. He was happy that Lupin had saved the ships, and he would cherish the result later. Much later. Severus took three angry steps and grabbed Lupin by the fur coat that was slung casually around his shoulders. 'If you ever scare me like this again, I do not answer for the result, Lupin.' Being so close to the man he wanted made Severus weak in the knees. He forgot where he was, and so it seemed, did Lupin, because suddenly he found himself in a tight embrace, with Lupin's lips close to his ear. They brushed softly over the shell of it.

'All I could think of was you, Severus.' Lupin pressed a light kiss to Severus' cheek. 'I wanted to come back to you so badly. I would never have forgiven myself if I had failed.'

'Stop it,' Severus tried, not really meaning it. 'We're in the middle of the airfield, you cretin!'

'Never,' Lupin whispered and kissed Severus again, on the lips.

'Fuck you! Are you aiming to get us arrested for buggery?'

'Not at all. And I'd like to. Fuck you.' Lupin looked very much like a large predator on the prowl. He licked his lips. 'What do you say, Severus? Should we go and do something they can arrest us for?'

'I thought you'd never ask,' Severus said and gave in to the damned wolf who had already ruined his life entirely. 'Come on.' Rarely had three hundred yards seemed so vast a distance.

'Good thing that your house is more or less on the airfield.' Lupin slammed the door to Severus' house open. Together they rushed up the stairs as if they couldn't get to touch each other more intimately too fast. 'Severus... I need you,' Lupin exclaimed so urgently that it brought a smile to Severus' lips. They went into the bedroom, pausing only to kiss each other repeatedly.

'I'm of course here only to serve you,' Severus groaned, not without sarcasm. He reached up to kiss Lupin's lips. 'Not that you deserve it, you fool. Scared me senseless with your heroic antics. You're intolerably annoying!' Severus had given in, but he wasn't surrendering quietly.

Lupin pulled Severus into his arms and kissed him, a senseless, wild, devouring kiss. Lupin's hips moved and there was do doubt that Severus had been missed, quite a bit. Lupins hardness was a delightfully shaped proof of that. Severus was just as hard. He pressed himself against Lupin, letting him feel that Severus was indeed attracted to him.

'I _hate_ you, Lupin' Severus moaned as Lupin unbuttoned his shirt, bestowing a long row of little bites on his neck. 'God, that's good!'

''m certain I can do better,' Lupin growled and pushed Severus down on the bed. Lupin knelt over him, fighting buttons and belt before he pulled Severus' trousers down over his hips. 'Mmm, Severus! That is...' Lupin bent down and used some time to lick and taste what Severus had to offer. It took all Severus had not to come in Lupin's warm mouth.

'Lupin... God! Stop!' Severus was moaning loudly, gasping for air. 'Get up here, and that's an order.'

'Is it?' Lupin grinned his wolfish smile. 'I don't take orders, dear Admiral.' He pulled Severus' trousers off, throwing them on the floor.

'Then what do you take?' Severus asked, provocatively, knowing the answer already.

'If you'd be as kind to help me with these,' Lupin indicated his own trousers and suspenders, 'I'll take you. Now, and again later.'

Severus certainly didn't need more encouragement than that. He sighed, satisfied as he finally closed his hand around Lupin's silken skin, slightly wet from the moisture that had spread over the head and down the shaft. Entangling his fingers in Lupin's hair, Severus pulled Lupin on top of him, wrapping his naked legs around Lupin's nicely shaped bottom. Unable to restrain himself, Severus tilted his hips, rubbing against Lupin's erection.

'And you, Admiral... you're shameless.' Lupin laughed happily as he pulled off Severus' shirt and vest, leaving Severus entirely naked. 'You had a taste of the wolf and that was not enough?' Lupin bent down to catch Severus' nipple between his teeth.

'Shut up, you idiot!' Severus groaned as Lupin licked and sucked and bit—it wasn't just good, it was brilliant. 'Don't be too sure of yourself, Lupin.'

'If it's the same to you, _sir_ , I wouldn't mind "Remus", and "I'm in love with you" to "idiot" and "Lupin". You see, I'm actually becoming rather fond of you, and I think that I'd prefer fewer insults and more of something like "Yes, Remus, do me harder" since that is what I intend to do.'

'Oh, God!' Severus couldn't resist any longer. Lupin—Remus—was everything Rodolphus was not: strong, honest, loving and most importantly not _ashamed_ of being who he was. Werewolf, Uranist, or just plain human. And right this instant, Remus was human. Joy and lust shone in his eyes and his warm hands slid demandingly over Severus' body. Human in needs and feelings, yes. And Severus looked into Remus' eyes and realised that he'd truly fallen for him, truly, deeply. 'I _am_ ,' Severus groaned, caught between lust and love, 'so in love with you, that it is hard for me to hate you, still.' He raised a hand to let a finger brush lovingly over his lover's cheek. 'I'm in love with you, Remus.'

The happy, innocent smile Remus sent him was, in Severus' opinion, the herald of the life to come. Their life together. Severus would have a the future, a happy one: a life with a man who loved him deeply. 'Oh, Severus!'

Their kiss lasted until none of them had any breath left. 'As for the doing me hard,' Severus moaned and spread his legs. 'Are we getting there anytime soon?'

'In a second, and then every day and every night for the rest of our lives,' Remus moaned and hurried to fulfil the first part of his promise to the man he had fallen in love with.

**XII.**

Hogsmeade was a lovely town outside Hull. Little cottages and with them, on a hill, a manor house overlooking the valley created a delightful picture of England at its best. A few horses were sleeping, resting on three legs, in the afternoon sun, on the meadows that surrounded the narrow river that flowed calmly from the hills towards the sea. Opposite the manor, close to the river, another house lay; not as posh or as rich as the manor, but a respectable house, one of those large, grey stone houses with hounds and horses and stables and a garden big enough to keep two gardeners occupied in the orchard. A house for a respectable couple. The village was quiet. The birds were singing, and far away the silver sound of the narrow river could be heard.

'Mr Grindelwald.' And elderly gentleman and his dog were standing outside Mrs Tonks's tearoom as an ancient farmer left it. 'Not much rain this week.'

'Mr Dumbledore.' The farmer nodded. 'Lovely weather today.'

An automobile drove by, making an awful noise in the quiet village. 'A Rolls-Royce,' Grindelwald said knowingly. 'It is said to reach a speed of forty miles an hour,' he informed Dumbledore, who was tipping his hat to the two men who sat in the passenger seat, close together, one wearing an admiral's uniform, the other a slender man with a spectacular long, red hair.

'They make them in Manchester,' Grindelwald said. 'Fifteen horsepower.' He scratched his beard as his eyes followed the car until it disappeared in a curve. 'At least it isn't a foreign car. One would expect that Prince Rabastan to drive a foreign car, though. They say that he has a taste for the exotic.' He pushed his cap back, rubbing his forehead as he fiddled with his walking stick. 'But he has one of them Rolls-Royces. Perhaps it is that other one... Admiral Wood... who has a taste for that,' he said, expressionless. 'The exotic. I wonder if it's the navy that makes them... queer.'

'They are good men. Rear Admiral Wood is a hero, you know. Very respectable, even if he lives up at the manor with that Azkaban prince. The _other_ thing? We do not talk about that. Let the young people have their lives, Mr Grindelwald. We don't understand them, no matter what, the young.'

'No, you are right, Mr Dumbledore. We are old men. Times are not what they used to be, no.' The man who was called Mr Grindelwald straightened his back and groaned as his arthritic joints made a popping sound. 'But, then again, it seems to be the fashion nowadays, those ways.' He looked in the opposite direction of the Lestrange manor, at the grey stone house. 'Even that upstart Fleet Admiral werewolf down from Hull and our honourable Secretary of State for War are sharing a house. How respectable is that? And all those airships coming at all times of the day, scaring the sheep?'

'They are close friends of the Prime Minister, Mr Grindelwald. Prime Minister McGonagall would not keep friends with anyone who is a not proper Englishman, or have him in her Cabinet. Good men, I say! Although Lord Snape's health doesn't allow him to lead the Airfleet as he used to. They fought in Azkaban together, Lord Snape and the Fifth Sea Lord Admiral Lupin. Reinstated Archduke Rodolphus they did. Poor man, the Archduke, that his wife isn't well. Insane, they say.'

'It's those foreigners. Fifth Admiral Lupin and that redhead of a prince. Madam Rosmerta at the pub has seen that Weasley boy and the young Malfoy. What is wrong with English women, I ask? England is not what it used to be, Grindelwald.'

Mr Grindelwald snorted. 'I suppose not.' He shrugged. 'The young, the young, with all their foreign ideas and machines. Let's go have a pint, Mr Dumbledore. That, we old men understand. Ale.' 

"A pint and pie, yes." Mr Dumbledore looked elated at the thought.

An ancient border collie got up and followed its master, limping slightly on the right hind leg. 'Yes, a good pint or two and Rosmerta's game pie.' Mr Grindelwald patted on the side of his leg. 'Come on, Dobby,' he said, whistling a tune as he followed Mr Dumbledore and the rheumatic collie towards the pub.


End file.
